Lower threshold can't come soon enough

Particularly as any veterinarian will tell you it's near impossible for a horse to have a natural cobalt level higher than 50mcg. Photo / Thinkstock

The hottest tip in thoroughbred racing is that the legal threshold level of cobalt in horses will soon be reduced from 200 micrograms per litre of urine to 100mcg.

And it can't come soon enough.

The reason? Okay, consider this. If 205mcg is illegal because it will affect a horse's performance, then surely 195mcg - currently legal - will have the same effect.

Particularly as any veterinarian will tell you it's near impossible for a horse to have a natural cobalt level higher than 50mcg.

A 200mcg level is far too much temptation to achieve a level that is just under 200mcg.

The Weekend Herald called the Integrity Unit yesterday to ask why cobalt levels in raceday swabs are not published and was informed of the consideration of the legal levels being drastically reduced.

"You can argue the 200 level is too generous," said IU operations manager Mike Godber.

"All the international opinion is that 100 is a far more realistic level. Most consider the current level is higher than it needs to be."

New Zealand followed Australia in adopting the 200 level. Hong Kong has a level of 100.

Australia's biggest thoroughbred syndicator is Terry Henderson, who operates OTI with former Australian test cricketer Simon O'Donnell.

Henderson won the Melbourne Cup with Doriemus and has spent the last two decades trying to repeat that by importing European stayers.

"The cobalt issue is ruining the image of Australian racing," Henderson said yesterday.

Henderson knows a bit about that - it was OTI's stayer Lidari that returned the illegal cobalt swab that has seen his trainer Peter Moody charged this week. Lidari returned a staggering 410 cobalt level after finishing second in the group one Turnbull Stakes in the spring.

"The cobalt positives is all anyone in England wants to talk about," said Henderson, just back from a Northern Hemisphere potential buying spree.

Peter Moody, trainer of the mighty Black Caviar, faces a charge of administering cobalt and two charges of presenting a horse to the races with a prohibited substance in its system.

Also charged in Victoria are Lee and Shannon Hope, Mark Cavanagh and Danny O'Brien.

Victoria's chief steward Terry Bailey said this week investigating the cobalt cases is the most exhausting and trying time in his career.

The Lance O'Sullivan/Andrew Scott stable is being investigated over three high cobalt swabs, but no charges have been laid.

Godber said the publication of cobalt levels in swabs would be counter-productive, assisting potential cheats. "If they were published potential abusers would be told exactly where they were at in trying to achieve certain levels."