Racing: Drug cheats can come a cropper

Champion jockey Lisa Cropp. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

Drugs in horse racing. Human and equine.

A critical part of the racing industry on both sides of that table.

From Monday the Herald is running a week-long series of stories on drugs and drug detection in the thoroughbred (galloping) industry.

Worldwide, rumour is rife on the doping of horses in racing, yet in New Zealand we have a record to be proud of by international standards.

And that's not to say it doesn't exist here. In this series we'll explain how, why and when horses might or might not have had some chemical enhancement.

And then there's the people.

In the next two or three decades New Zealand racing will not completely recover from the fact champion jockey Lisa Cropp was found to have ridden at Te Rapa in May 2005 with a massive level of methamphetamine in her system.

Cropp's three-year fight through three different judicial levels challenging the right of racing officials to test jockeys for drugs gave the industry an image it didn't need.

This year Cropp's fight finally ran out and after being found guilty of riding with "P" in her system she was disqualified for nine months and fined $99,500.

The fine has not been paid and in September Cropp was placed on the Unpaid Forfeit list of New Zealand Thoroughbred racing.

Last month Matamata apprentice Mohammed Yusof, from Malaysia, already disqualified for returning a positive test to methamphetamine, was accused by Lisa Cropp of stealing $20,000 from her account via an electronic method.

Soon after Yusof flew out of New Zealand to Malaysia with his family.

Racecourse inspector Bryan McKenzie oversaw a drug detection operation with jockeys at Matamata last Thursday week.

One of those tested was Malaysian apprentice Meo Ahmad, who was stood down on the day for being massively overweight for a ride.

Ahmad suddenly flew back to Malaysia on Tuesday.

Catch the Herald's strong story on drugs in horse racing from Monday.