Non Raceday Inquiry RIU v JL Black, AJ Steele, W & T Steele and GA Lawrence – Decision dated 15 June 2015

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decisiondate: 16/06/2015

hearing_title: Non Raceday Inquiry RIU v JL Black, AJ Steele, W & T Steele and GA Lawrence - Decision dated 15 June 2015

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Before a Judicial Control Authority Committee at Cambridge

Racing Integrity Unit

Neil John Grimstone

Manager Integrity Assurance (Informant)

AND

James Leonard Black together with Alysha Jane Steele

(Respondent 1 - Information No A7070)

Wayne & Tracey Steele

(Respondent 2 - Information Nos A7071, A7072 & A7073)

Gordon Albert Lawrence

(Respondent 3 - Information No A7074)

Ruling of Judicial Committee

1. All of the above named respondents are licensed greyhound trainers under the Rules of Greyhound Racing New Zealand (“GRNZ”). They are all based around the Waikato area and race their animals at either the Waikato Greyhound Racing Club at Cambridge or the Auckland Greyhound Racing Club at Manukau.

2. Over the December 2014 to February 2015 period, greyhounds trained by the respondents were correctly entered and presented to race as follows:

• 28/12/14 – Auckland – “It’s the Dream” – Race 6 (Black & AJ Steele) 1st place – Stake paid $840;
• 26/01/15 – Auckland – “Cosmic Warra” – Race 5 (W & T Steele) 4th place – nil Stake money paid;
• 01/02/15 – Auckland – “Mrs Punting” – Race 5 (W & T Steele) 1st place – Stake paid $1,320;
• 01/02/15 – Auckland – “Kiki Rhode” – Race 7 (W& T Steele) 1st place – Stake paid $1,560;
• 26/02/15 – Waikato – “Trilise” – Race 12 (W & T Steele) 1st place – Stake paid $1,920.

3. All of the abovementioned greyhounds were the subject of standard post-race swabbing procedures, carried out in the presence of the respondents or their representatives.

4. All swabs were analysed by the New Zealand Racing Laboratory. Following analysis, the Official Racing Analyst reported that morphine was detected in each swab sample. Morphine is a prohibited substance pursuant to the Rules of Greyhound Racing.

5. Rule 86.4 of the Rules of Greyhound Racing is unequivocal.

“86.4

Any Greyhound which competes in a Race and is found to be the recipient of a Prohibited Substance shall be disqualified from the Race”

6. None of the respondents have challenged the findings of the NZ Racing Laboratory, or the swabbing procedure, and all have acknowledged that disqualification is inevitable.

7. Thus, we find as a fact that the greyhounds named in paragraph 2 above, had a Prohibited Substance in their metabolisms when presented for racing on the dates in question.

8. It is therefore the ruling of this committee that the greyhounds named in paragraph 2 above be disqualified from the respective races in which they competed. The consequence of this ruling is that the stake money paid in each case shall be refunded.

We make a further order that stake money shall be paid in accordance with the following amended placings:

Race 6 – Auckland 28/12/14 1st “Mr Mumbles”
2nd “Boss Appeal”
3rd “Fortis Fiona”

Race 5 – Auckland 26/01/15 No order required as “Cosmic Warra” did not finish in a stake bearing position.

Race 5 Auckland 01/02/15 1st “Opawa Pearl”
2nd “Lucky Man”
3rd “Jinja Jam”

Race 7 Auckland 01/02/15 1st “Prophecy”
2nd “Fancy Amigo”
3rd “This Time Pedro”

Race 12 Waikato 26/02/15 1st “Jelly Gem”
2nd “Ghost Writer”
3rd “Found Roman”

Observation

Extensive enquiries were made by the Racing Integrity Unit as to how the greyhounds in question were found to have morphine in their systems. It transpired that the source of the morphine was a dry “kibble feed” which had been fed by all respondents to their greyhounds. As part of their enquiries, the Racing Integrity Unit, purchased an unopened bag of the feed from a Te Awamutu supplier, and sent this bag as a control sample to the NZ Racing Laboratory. This control sample was tested, along with samples taken Wayne & Tracey Steele’s property and also from Gordon Lawrence’s property and all were found to contain morphine (a sample was not available James Black and Alysha Steele as they did not have any of the feed in question remaining at their property).

The Australian supplier of the feed product has been co-operative with the Racing Integrity Unit and has acknowledged that his product was contaminated and therefore the source of the issue. It is thought that the feed was contaminated by the inadvertent/accidental inclusion of wild poppies which are apparently quite prevalent in the State of manufacture.

KG Hales                 A Dooley

Chairman                Judicial Committee Panellist

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