Racing Australia set to adopt stricter guidelines on cobalt levels at Australian stewards’ conference

RACING Australia is set to adopt the stricter international rules for cobalt levels when the topic is raised at the two-day stewards’ conference in Sydney.

Chief Steward Ray Murrihy during the races at Rosehill Gardens. pic Mark Evans

RACING Australia is expected to adopt the international level of 100 for cobalt levels, half of the current threshold of 200 micrograms per litre of urine which operates throughout racing jurisdictions in Australia.

Normal cobalt levels in horses are mostly single figures.

The lowering of the allowable cobalt level is on the agenda for a two-day Australian stewards’ conference which starts in Sydney and will be chaired by Racing New South Wales chief steward Ray Murrihy.

He said Australia had adopted every other international level but it will up to Racing Australia to officially introduce the stricter rule.

“But it will be discussed at the stewards’ conference,” Murrihy said.

“There is push by some Victorian trainers to have levels of endogenous substances, like bicarb and cobalt, displayed on web sites.”

Cranbourne trainer Mick Kent has pushed for the public release on a website of the results of horses which have undergone testing.

Racing Victoria introduced a local rule in April, 2014, which prohibited cobalt at a concentration of more than 200 micrograms per litre in urine. The rule was adopted nationally on January 1, 2015.

Victorian Racing’s controversial 30-minute gap between races is also up for discussion, as well as the whip rule which limits to five the number of times a horse can be hit before the 100m, but it is unlimited after that.

“The anomaly of the present rule is that it doesn’t cater for the one which is struck six or seven times but then is not struck at all in the last 100m,” Murrihy said.

“The trouble of sort of saying well for the whole of the straight you are limited to 10, 12 or 14 times, but 20m from the post the argument is that I needed to hit it again, but I’d run out.

“I don’t think there is a perfect solution, but I’, not suggesting what we’ve got now is perfect either.”

Following fines and disqualifications handed down following the inflated prices of horses sold to Hong Kong, Murrihy said stewards will discuss whether rules should be introduced which requires the disclosure of sale prices and commissions.

Murrihy said valuable international input would be provided at the conference by Hong Kong Jockey Club chief steward Kim Kelly and New Zealand’s co-chief steward Ross Neil.

“It’s a pretty full agenda and a pretty full two days and most of the Rules of Racing come from this particular conference,” he said.

Originally published as Racing Australia set to adopt stricter guidelines on cobalt levels at Australian stewards’ conference