Australian trainer Peter Moody’s hearing for three charges related to cobalt positives faces delays into Christmas and possibly the New Year after the champion conditioner’s defense accused Racing Victoria of breach of procedure Wednesday, according to Racing.com. That site reported that Moody’s defense argued the case was prejudiced because the B urine sample of Lidari (Fr) (Acclamation {GB})–the horse in Moody’s care that tested positive for cobalt–was split before being tested by two laboratories, straying from normal procedure. The Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board has ordered Racing Victoria to provide documents explaining how and why the sample was split, which will cause delays in the hearing as some of the witnesses scheduled to be heard in the coming days were involved with the testing.
Moody’s defense had argued Monday that Lidari’s positive came about through the use of a hoof treatment, Availa, which was possibly overfed due to a misunderstanding with a stable staff member. Jeff Gleeson, representing the stewards, continued to attack that notion Wednesday, saying Lidari’s reading of almost double the legal level of cobalt could not have been achieved through a “benign supplement and feeding regime,” according to Racing.com. The hearing will continue late into the night Wednesday with stewards scheduled to call an expert in London to testify about the effects of Availa.
