Queensland Cobalt Inquiry Adjourned

The first inquiry into a cobalt positive in Queensland, Australia has been postponed after it was deemed further investigation should be taken into the presence of cobalt in supplements, according to Racing and Sports. The inquiry in question concerned the Jamie McConachy-trained Vandalised, who was found to have cobalt in his system after a win last year. McConachy said he had never heard of cobalt prior to the inquiry, but had treated Vandalised for low red blood cell levels on the advice of a vet. McConachy’s barrister wanted more information on how cobalt could be accumulated from legal supplements. 

Vandalised’s original swab after his victory had come back negative to the normal tests, but a frozen sample was tested after the cobalt threshold was introduced and came back positive.