Racing: Justice faces losing Interdom title

Smoken Up holds off Themightyquinn to score a gallant win in the Interdominion Grand Final. Photo / Natalie Slade

Australian trainer Lance Justice must prove Smoken Up was contaminated with the drug DMSO by an outside source or he will lose the Interdominion Pacing Final win of two weeks ago.

The racing industry has been stunned by the news the ironhorse's post-race swab from the Alexandra Park classic shows traces of the drug dimethyl sulfoxide, commonly known at DMSO.

Herald investigations suggest the levels of the drug in Smoken Up's swabs are only just over acceptable and Justice is hoping the B-sample, for which test results will come back next Thursday, will prove negative.

However, that is highly unlikely and under the Rules Of Racing, Justice would then need to prove that neither he nor anybody working on his behalf administered DMSO or any derivative thereof, to Smoken Up.

He faces a huge task and the chances of Smoken Up keeping his greatest career win looks grim.

Justice has angrily denied treating Smoken Up with DMSO and has vowed to "quit the sport" if the Kiwi-bred pacer loses the race.

Waikato-based racecourse inspector Rod Carmichael and Harness Racing Victoria investigative steward Andy Rogers interviewed Justice on Thursday about the swab.

"I'm devastated. There's no way this horse has ever been treated with DMSO. He hasn't been within 100 yards of being treated with it," Justice said. "There has to have been some contamination somewhere. DMSO is one of the most absorbent substances there is. Plus, it stinks, which would be a give-up if you used it.

"It's criminal if they take this off him. I'll walk away if he loses the race because of a substance I've never used on him. I'm going to fight this irregularity with everything I've got. Something just isn't right.

"Not only have I never treated Smoken Up with DMSO, it's never been near him. I hate the drug. It stinks, it makes me physically sick."

Justice is at pains to explain just how DMSO could have come to be in Smoken Up's system if he did not in fact administer it. "People need to know DMSO is a contact drug, a topical drug, which absorbs into the body lightning fast. So contamination from outside contact is very possible.

"That's all I can put this irregularity down to, contamination from something or someone. I've spent the past two days on the phone to anyone and everyone trying to find out if it could possibly come from anything I've fed him, but that doesn't make sense because I didn't change anything during the series."

Racing Integrity Unit boss Cameron George said no charges had been laid as yet.

"And they won't be until a thorough investigation is completed," he said.

DMSO became a big name drug in New Zealand harness racing two years ago after one positive to it from an unplaced horse saw months of swabs retrospectively tested, outraging some trainers who believed they were allowed to use it.

Among those found to have used it were the then Graeme Rogerson-Peter Simpson partnership, who lost a Harness Jewels victory after Muscle And Power returned a positive during retrospective testing.

While Smoken Up's relentless racing style and the style in which he clean-swept the Interdominions will have plenty of people calling for Justice's head after the positive, the result is slightly confusing as Smoken Up returned drug-free swabs after winning his two heats of the Interdominions, the second heat win as commanding as his Final victory.

As a Grand Circuit warrior and 1:50.3 Miracle Mile winner he may well be the most drug tested racehorse in Australasia in the past three years, all without any problems.

Unfortunately for Justice and the connections of Smoken Up, none of that will matter should charges be laid this time.

Interdom fallout

* Smoken Up has returned a positive drug test after winning the Interdominion Pacing Final on April 8.

* His trainer Lance Justice denies ever having used the drug DMSO on the great pacer.

* Unless Justice can prove Smoken Up was contaminated with the drug he will lose the race.