Managing owner Allan Endresz determined to clear Alligator Blood and trainer David Van Dyke in Magic Millions Guineas positive
Alligator Blood owner Allan Endresz says ‘the racing industry hasn’t seen anything like what I’m going to wheel out’ as he confirms fight to clear his racehorse’s reputation after positive swab.
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Alligator Blood’s owner Allan Endresz will now set in motion legal action after confirmation that his star tested positive to prohibited substance altrenogest after his win in the $2 million Magic Millions 3YO Classic on January 11.
On Tuesday the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission (QRIC) stewards informed Alligator Blood’s trainer David Vandyke that the preliminary analysis of the post-race sample which showed an irregularity to altrenogest had been confirmed in a secondary sample.
Stewards have told Vandyke he is the subject of a QRIC stewards’ inquiry and have told him he can provide his submissions in writing or via telephone or video conference at a date to be fixed.
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Alligator Blood, who has won 10 of his 12 starts including the Group 1 Australian Guineas at Flemington, is certain to be disqualified and will lose $1,168,334 in stakemoney from his Gold Coast win.
His managing owner Endresz said he had been planning for this outcome as it was a rarity for a secondary sample not to come back positive and was looking forward to the impending legal battles.
“I’ve been working on this for some time as I knew this was coming. The racing industry hasn’t seen anything like what I’m going to wheel out challenging their rules and regulations,” Endresz said.
“This has tarnished the reputation of my wonderful horse. I’ve had mine tarnished before but I didn’t expect Al to ever have his. David also doesn’t deserve it and I’m very worried for him. He’s a great horseman who deserves the accolades.
“I’ll be there to defend him every step of the way. He won 10 out of 12 starts, including the Group 1 Australian Guineas and other than this race he’s never been questioned. Then in Melbourne over the autumn all of his samples were clean.”
“What I’m doing is unique. We want to challenge AR Rule 240 saying he has to be disqualified.
“Basically there are two outcomes. Either the swab has been contaminated and if it’s not contaminated, it was done deliberately.”
“If you look at the analysis of the swab results there’s a truckload of the stuff in his system and the only way it could have got in is if someone has injected him.
“We’re in the midst of the COVID crisis and an economic calamity is around the corner and we’re looking for something inspirational and a hero which we’ve got one in Al and he’s now had his reputation tarnished.”
“We want David and Al to be exonerated.”
Vandyke has said he had never used altrenogest on Alligator Blood.
If Alligator Blood is disqualified, the Greg Hickman-trained Eleven Eleven will be declared the winner.
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