Racing Victoria's Chief Veterinarian Brian Stewart admitted during the ongoing cobalt appeals of trainers Mark Kavanagh and Danny O'Brien on Wednesday that he knew the lab in Western Australia where samples were sent was not accredited to test for cobalt. The defense of Kavanagh and O'Brien against charges for presenting horses to race with cobalt overages hinges largely on the discovery that the horses' urine tests were carried out at labs that were not yet approved for such tests. According to Racing.com, Stewart told the hearing he was “satisfied” to proceed based on advice given by Racing Analytical Services Limited that the process for testing in equines and humans would be similar.
“I was satisfied testing human urine and equine urine were similar,” Stewart said. “It is better to have a specific test for species but this testing of urine is a straightforward matter.”
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