By: Paulick Report Staff
Racing Victoria stewards will have cobalt samples from several banned trainers retested as a matter of ‘due diligence’, according to a new report at Racing.com.
Chairman of stewards Terry Bailey stated that samples from the barns of trainers Mark Kavanagh, Danny O’Brien, and Lee and Shannon Hope would be retested after the trainers claimed that Racing Victoria had “covered up” the fact that the two previous laboratories used for testing, in Perth and Hong Kong, had not been accredited to test for cobalt.
Kavanagh, O’Brien, and the Hopes each received three to five-year bans after horses in their care returned positive tests for cobalt.
Racing Victoria officials are confident that the additional tests will validate the earlier testing by the two laboratories.
Bailey told reporters, “As far as the retesting is concerned, we don’t even believe there’s a need to even have to do it, but we’re just following due diligence and that’s about as much as I can say on it because the case is on foot at VCAT and we can’t keep commenting on these false accusations.”
“We don’t have to re-test them. The findings are solid and we are just going to follow due diligence. Instead of having three certificates, we’ll have six.”
