Racing: Cocaine admission leaves Melbourne ride in balance

Michael Walker will need to make some clarifications about his use of cocaine if he is to ride in Melbourne next month, Victoria's chairman of stewards Des Gleeson said yesterday.

The top New Zealand jockey rides star 3-year-old Darci Brahma in Saturday's $100,000 Otaki-Maori Weight-For-Age (1600m) at Otaki in what will serve as a final trial for a Melbourne mission.

Walker said in a television interview last year he used cocaine during a seven-month riding stint in Melbourne in 2004.

Walker said in the interview: "I woke up in the morning, have breakfast, do cocaine, that was it.

"I don't know how but I never got tested for it when I was over there. If I had got tested I wouldn't even still be a jockey."

Gleeson said yesterday he had since received a written response from Walker about the comments but there were still points to clarify if he was to receive a licence to ride in Victoria.

"There are a couple of things we just need to clarify," Gleeson said. "I can't elaborate further but there are a couple of things we really need to address."

Gleeson said he had viewed a video tape of the television interview and said he was concerned with some of the comments Walker made.

He said there was an implication Walker had not been tested for drugs while in Melbourne but he had. Gleeson said Walker had been tested once, which was negative.

Darci Brahma, a $1.1 million purchase in 2004, has won seven of 10 starts and is scheduled to head to Melbourne for the group one A$750,000 ($838,000) Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on March 11.

Gleeson said he would probably speak to Walker about a week before the Australian Guineas.

"If he comes here with a clearance (from New Zealand) and there's nothing untoward in our discussions, then he will be able to ride in Melbourne."

- NZPA