Australian Trainers Association claim new science gives them fresh ammunition in bid for cobalt rethink

The Australian Trainers Association says an industry-wide rethink is needed in the wake of new science showing there is increasing doubts on the performance enhancing capabilities of cobalt.

Andrew Nicholls says the industry now has a better understanding of cobalt.

The Australian Trainers Association has made a formal request to Racing Australia to review the rules and governance around cobalt in the wake of cases related to the substance continuing to mount.

In a letter to RA Chief Executive Barry O’Farrell, ATA Chief Executive Officer Andrew Nicholl requested Racing Australia includes the issue on the agenda for its next board meeting, scheduled for August 29.

“The recent penalties, and the broader treatment of cobalt positives in the UK, certainly warrant consideration and review by RA for their application to our own jurisdiction,” Nicholl wrote.

Barry O'Farrell has plenty to contemplate in his role as Racing Australia chief executive.

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He said breaches of the relevant Australian Rules of Racing related to cobalt “continue to be problematic” for trainers and the wider industry.

More than 100 thoroughbred trainers have been charged for exceeding legal thresholds since the introduction of the local rule (LR) in Victoria in 2014 and the Australian Rule (AR) being introduced on January 1 2015. Across the three codes of racing, that number now tallies 350 cases.

“The passage of time that followed the introduction of the LR/AR rules has allowed the industry to better and further educate itself on this subject,” Nicholl said.

“For example, there was an original belief that a rule breach would occur from the intentional application of a highly concentrated product only. It is now accepted … that legally sourced and administered commercial products, for example, VAM paste and B12 injectables, pre-mixed foods and even salt blocks, can cause a build up of cobalt and result in legal thresholds being exceeded.”

The ATA contends new science shows there is increasing doubts on the performance enhancing capabilities of cobalt.

“Tellingly, race results for the majority of horses at the centre of the rule breaches support this, with very few having won, or even produced personal best performances,” Nicholl said.

The ATA cited how other countries had “softened” their approach to cobalt rule breaches, with New Zealand, England and Ireland opting for fines, as opposed to the disqualifications and suspensions that have been issued in Australia.

On Monday, News Corp Australia reported how prominent veterinarian Derek Major, who has been conducting administration trials in horses of various forms of cobalt supplements since 2015, has called for a changing of testing procedures in Australia.

He says the current system is producing “false positives” because Vitamin B12 was not considered in the original application of the cobalt rule.

He said the B12 component of the sample should be subtracted from the overall reading and he also advocated for tests to be done on blood, rather than urine.