Larry Cassidy urges Queensland racing officials to ramp up drug testing of jockeys and track riders

Multiple premiership-winning jockey Larry Cassidy says the spate of recent drug-related offences by jockeys and track riders is a result of Queensland not having the necessary deterrents.

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Multiple premiership-winning jockey Larry Cassidy says the spate of recent drug-related offences by jockeys and track riders is a result of Queensland not having the necessary deterrents.

On Monday, QRIC conducted random tests on the Gold Coast, where five track riders tested positive to banned substances, including one to cannabis. Another rider was stood down for failing to provide a sample.

That rounded out a dark month for the Queensland racing industry, with several riders and jockeys having drug-related issues.

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Larry Cassidy says he could not recall the last time he was asked to do a random drug test. Picture: AAP

Last Saturday, jockey Damion McIntosh was stood down from rides at Eagle Farm and Doomben after stewards became aware of a drug conviction and nine month suspended jail sentence in July for charges relating to the supply of a schedule 1 drug.

It is understood another jockey was stood down after a discrepancy in the sample provided in a random raid at Caloundra.

That followed the suspension of former champion apprentice Luke Tarrant this month and the standing down of another former top junior rider, Ric McMahon, for failing to provide a urine sample. Another rider was stood down for the same reason in Cairns.

It’s not just Queensland. In NSW on Thursday, jockey Nick Heywood was suspended for 10 months for testing positive to banned substances.

Cassidy says he could not recall the last time he was asked to do a random drug test at the races and said therein lies the issue.

“If they were more stringent with their drug-testing practices, we wouldn’t have got to this stage,” he said. “In other countries I’ve ridden in around the world, they drug-tested at every meeting. They would test a few jockeys every week.

Luke Tarrant has had his licence suspended and will undergo rehabilitation for drug offences. Picture: AAP

“If (jockeys) are going to the races knowing there’s a chance they will be tested, it’s more likely they are not going to be taking anything.”

Integrity Commissioner Ross Barnett said there had been 1185 human samples taken in the thoroughbred code since QRIC’s inception in July 2016.

He said participants can be tested at anytime, anywhere across the state, and the Commission carries out random no notice testing on race day and track work, including “intelligence driven” testing.

“The Commission is professional in detecting those participants who are affected by drugs in the interest of animal welfare and the safety of participants and no person or place is off limits,” Barnett said.

The Commissioner noted there had been instances where “fake urine” had been used to thwart the testing regime.

Barnett said the recent positive tests were “concerning, but would not pass judgment on whether there is a drug problem in Queensland racing, instead saying “the number of positive drug tests compared to the number of participants taking part in races and track work … is relatively low.”

Queensland Jockey Association representative Glen Prentice said he agreed with Barnett’s assessment of it only being a small percentage, but also advocated for Cassidy’s proposal to test more, saying most of his members would welcome that.

“There is a (drug) problem everywhere in society. It’s not a racing specific problem, it’s the whole of society,” Prentice said. “That doesn’t mean we are saying no one is doing it, but more testing would make people more aware and not take the risk.”