Stance on cobalt unchanged

Trainers’ association to formulate response as Racing Australia stands firm on controversial cobalt findings and penalties.

Racing Australia is standing firm on its cobalt position.

RACING : The Australian Trainers’ Association (ATA) will formulate its response to Racing Australia’s (RA) refusal to review its position on the controversial cobalt findings and penalties dogging Australian racing.

The ATA approached RA in August asking it to seek a full review into the science of cobalt and the penalties issued to more than 350 licensees across three codes of racing who have had horses and greyhounds test positive to the substance.

RA is standing firm on its original position on cobalt which it says has the potential to enhance performance.

That is despite a growing number of Australian and international vets and scientists questioning its performance enhancing capabilities.

Leading New South Wales veterinarian Dr Ross Wenzel became the latest this week to voice an opinion on cobalt claiming in the Courier-Mail it has no performance-enhancing effects and the “misuse of cobalt is ill-conceived”.

Toowoomba’s Harry Richardson is one of the latest trainers hit with a hefty cobalt penalty – tarnishing his clean 50-year industry record.

“I can’t understand why RA won’t have an independent review into this whole cobalt mess. What are they frightened of?” Richardson said.