Moody anger after vet admits cobalt warnings should have been issued

The long-running cobalt saga took another twist on Thursday, when the chief veterinarian for Racing Victoria admitted the governing body should have issued warnings that standard doses of vitamin and mineral products containing cobalt could push horses' levels above the permitted threshold.

Dr Brian Stewart was speaking at the appeal hearing for Mark Kavanagh and Danny O'Brien, who have been handed three- and four-year bans respectively after horses in their care returned elevated cobalt readings in 2014.

Cobalt can help increase red blood cells to help take oxygen through the body, therefore enabling a horse to perform at its peak for longer. However Kavanagh and O'Brien deny deliberately administering cobalt to their horses.