Once upon a time innocent trainers like Darrel Graham and our man Moods used to get tipped out for long periods of time for throwing positive swabs to cobalt salts.
It was a travesty of justice, and it was only through the big man’s outspoken criticism of the stewarding practice and Daz’s determined legal resistance despite the financial drain that the tide finally turned, and each case began to be treated on its merits rather than a rigid rule of sending positive swabbers for a spell being strictly applied.
(Forgive the excessive alliteration: I am still laughing at Bong Bong Bonno’s race record and I’m on a rollicking roll. Sorry to be such a negative nancy nabob. I guess it’s just the jester in my genes and the devil in my DNA. I do enjoy your daily anonymous emails though emir. Lambast is always good for a loud laugh, and hollow harbingers of descendent doom are hardly harrowing when delivered by a heart deficient dickhead. VPN busters are bodacious too.)
Like most great ideas inverted and turned upside down – which of course means the same thing – the Terry Bailey inspired cobalt tide has now swung back to the south, and the one-time tyranny has become the modern day madness of undue mercy for dastardly deeds.
The recent Gary Donaldson decision is the perfect example.
Donaldson administered two unregistered products to his horses: H.A. Plus and Super C.
Neither product is approved for use for horses in Australia, and both contain cobalt.
H.A. Plus is a medication for humans that supports shock absorbing capacity and lubrication of joints.
It is designed and intended for people with arthritis, so that they may walk on old wobbly knees without falling over.
The treatment is not intended for wobbly jointed horses involved in high-impact competition races.
Super C is a big hit ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) solution that also contains collagen, another joint lubricating and tissue repair substance made to alleviate the effects of human ageing, not to give to half broken down trotters so that they continue to race on.
The reason for that is simple – because these treatments allow horses to race when they shouldn’t, and thus cause them long-term problems and pain.
As stated above, they also contain cobalt.
Gary Donaldson freely put his hand up to using both unregistered and therefore unlawful products, and did so in what turned out to be a highly successful attempt to avoid a long suspension or disqualification for throwing a positive swab to cobalt.
The newly converted cobalt conscious Stewards took mercy on Mr Donaldson, and gave him 4 months but suspended the whole sentence.
Sadly they seemed to take no real account of the potentially atrocious animal welfare consequences of using such pain concealing substances on pacers with crook joints.
It’s a real shame.
Oh well, I guess they are just horses.
Neigh.
https://integrity.thetrots.com.au/news/articles/vrt-hearing-gary-donaldson/