Lengthy Cobalt Investigation Underway

by Alix Choppin 

Racing Victoria chief steward Terry Bailey made out the broad outlines of the investigation into what is taking shape as a landmark crisis for racing in Australia and beyond. Speaking to Shane Anderson on RSN Radio on Thursday morning [Eastern Australian time], Bailey indicated that the timeline of the investigation process was likely to be, “months rather than weeks,” due to the vast number of tests that will need being carried out. “Obviously we will do as quick as we can, but we'll be testing feed supplements, that sort of thing, it all takes time,” Bailey said. 

Discussing the threshold of 200 micrograms per liter or urine, which was adopted in Victoria last April before being extended to the whole of Australia Jan. 1, Bailey explained that it had been put in place following extensive review of research made in harness racing. The first threshold for cobalt chloride in Australia was introduced in December 2013 and applied upon harness racing in New South Wales after local authorities worked closely with their American counterparts, particularly at The Meadowlands. 

“Basically, in our experience, if it's in the U.S. and it hasn't yet reached our shores, it soon will,” Bailey said. “So we made sure we got on the front foot to protect our industry.” 

Bailey described the Australian threshold as, “certainly generous,” notably in comparison to Hong Kong's 100 micrograms per liter. “We believe that the [threshold] we've put in place provides a level playing field for all,” he justified, before adding, “If horses are returning levels over that, there's been outside influence, somehow, someway.” 

The same view was voiced even more firmly by RV Head of Veterinary and Animal Welfare Dr. Brian Stewart, who told the program a level above 200 micrograms per liter of urine would have, “a probability in the million range of occurring naturally.” According to Stewart, the normal level of cobalt to be found in a horse in normal circumstances would be, “something between 5 and 10 micrograms,” getting up to 50 micrograms with the influence of supplementation. 

Beside the performance enhancement aspect, Stewart warned of the harmful side effects of cobalt, saying, “One of the reasons why we've been so strong on [cobalt] is that the dose that achieves performance enhancement is very close to the toxic dose. It can have an effect as to make the blood too thick. There have been cases with cyclists where they've actually died because of this sludging effect, the blood is basically just too thick to get through the blood vessels.” And this is far from being the only damage caused by cobalt. “It's going to affect the thyroid,” detailed Stewart. “It's going to affect the heart muscles. Cobalt abuse is a very significant issue.” 

The cobalt crisis seems at risk of turning into a nationwide issue, as stewards in Queensland and New South Wales have also confirmed that they are investigating into potential irregularities. In May 2014, NSW trainer Darren Smith was denied of entering any of his horses to race following unannounced inspection of his Newcastle stables, as part of a proactive survey on cobalt. That inspection provided evidence of administration of cobalt and led to elevated levels of cobalt being found in samples taken from 16 horses. However, the investigation operates on a different footing in this case, as no threshold for cobalt had been introduced at the time in NSW. On Thursday, Racing NSW chief steward Ray Murrihy announced that he would wait for the conclusion of this investigation before making further announcements regarding cobalt testing. 

“There have been no elevated findings since the population survey, which was conducted in April and May, involving some 400 samples, other than the ones already on the public record,” Murrihy told The Age. “However, we have hundreds of frozen substances and we have the ability to test them. We would not be making any more announcements until we have finished the investigations that are currently opened.”