‘Hard to cheat here’: Texts reveal brazen alleged doping under noses of race officials

THESE bombshell texts lift the lid on how a group of trainers and stable staff are alleged to have evaded Racing Victoria’s security network for years to dope horses with performance-enhancing sodium bicarbonate.

BELOW are text exchanges compiled by Racing Victoria stewards as part of its Aquanita Inquiry — and seen by the Herald Sun.

Those who feature as senders or receivers of the texts are Group 1 winning trainers Robert Smerdon and Liam Birchley, stablehand and float driver Greg Nelligan and his wife, then Aquanita Racing employee Denise.

ACCUSED RACE DOPING TRAINERS’ MESSAGES EXPOSED

LEO SCHLINK: DAMNING TEXTS PAINT DISTURBING PICTURE OF ALLEGED HORSE DOPING

TONY VASIL TO HAVE PRIZEMONEY WITHHELD UNTIL DOPING PROBE COMPLETED

LIAM BIRCHLEY PUTS VICTORIAN STARTERS ON HOLD AFTER DOPING SCANDAL

THE CASE

Five trainers and three stable employees have been charged with 271 counts of breaching the rules of racing, many relating to the alleged “tubing” of horses on race day, including at the track just minutes before fields jump.

TUBING

A tube is fed through a horse’s nose and down the throat into the stomach. It is alleged that on race day, horses were being given sodium bicarbonate “milkshakes” which combat the build up of lactic acid and reduce fatigue at the end of the race.

Horses would be illegally tubed at the stables and then given a secret top-up with a modified syringe plunger either after being blood-tested on course and if not tested, as close as possible to the race to boost TCO2 levels.

Racing Victoria bans any treatment of horses a clear day before they are due to run.

FLICK THROUGH DOZENS OF DAMNING TEXTS BELOW

Racing Victoria doping scandal text messages revealed

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