Arsenic positive alarms Melbourne racing scene
THE Melbourne spring carnival has been rocked by news of a feature-race winner who has tested positive to arsenic in a post-race sample.
Although the trainer involved has been informed, the horse in question has not been named as Racing Victoria stewards await the results of the ‘B' sample.
However, according to the Herald-Sun, the positive test was produced by one of the four Group-race winners at the Moonee Valley night meeting on Friday, September 30.
Althougharsenic is poisonous, it is also regarded as a tonic in small doses. It is a component of the substance commonly known as ITPP (myo-inositol trispyrophosphate), a performance-enhancing drug often associated with US harness racing.
Racing Victoria stewards were advised of the irregularity after the sample was tested in Hong Kong because Australian laboratories cannot test for ITPP.
"This is the spring and we want everyone playing on a level playing field," said Racing Victoria chief steward Terry Bailey said. "We will go to any lengths to make sure of that."
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