Australian trainer Darren Smith, who has been stood down from racing by stewards since May, has been charged with 20 cobalt positives. The charges encompass raceday samples from 17 different runners from Apr. 29 to Dec. 4, 2014. One of those runners, the 3-year-old filly Nisroc (Aus), was also found to have cobalt in her system during an out-of-competition check at Smith's Newcastle stable in May. Nisroc was one of 11 winners that tested positive for cobalt under Smith's care during that time period, and that group also included the Listed Eskimo Prince S. winner Testarhythm (Aus). Smith's case will be heard Feb. 24, according to Racing and Sports.
Cobalt, which occurs naturally in the system in minute amounts, has been linked to equine blood doping, although its effectiveness is widely speculated (click here for a TDN feature explaining the uses of cobalt).
Three prominent Victorian trainers–Peter Moody, Mark Kavanagh and Danny O'Brien–are under investigation for cobalt positives, but none have been charged.
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