BANNED 3 YEARS

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32778, 1 December 1971, Page 8

BANNED 3 YEARS

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON. The trainer and partowner of Elkiro, Mr H. S. J. Vincent, was disqualified for three years by a subcommittee of the Wellington District Committee yesterday. Elkiro returned a positive swab after winning the Juvenile Handicap at Trentham on July 14. Mr Vincent was also ordered to pay $3OO towards the cost of the two-day inquiry, which started on Monday. Elkiro was disqualified from the race, and the platings now are: Tricky Boy 1, Lord Peter 2, Tiparillo 3, Moidart 4. Mr Vincent was charged under the Corrupt Practices Rule and alternatively with a breach of Rule 104 (2). The charges, laid by a racecourse inspector, Mr W. C. Harper, arose out of the analyst’s finding of caffeine and theobromine in a urine sample taken after the race.

Mr T. F. Fookes appeared for Mr Harper and Mr T. A. de Cleene for Mr Vincent.

Elkiro is owned by a syndicate of nine persons, six of whom are members of the Vincent family. All the members of the sydnicate, against whom no charges were laid, were advised of

the time and place of the inquiry, and were invited to attend if they so chose.

The committee heard evidence from 15 witnesses. The committee, in a statement, said it found the facts admitted or proved to their satisfaction were: 1. That Elkiro, which won the Woburn Handicap on Saturday, July 10, the first day of the Wellington Racing Club’s winter meeting, was swabbed after that race and the result was negative. 2. Elkiro, which won the Juvenile Handicap on the second day, Wednesday, July 14, was also swabbed after that race, and the urine test showed a positive for caffeine and theobromine. Theobromine is a metabolite of caffeine.

3. That Collovet, an appertiser which contains caffeine, was part of the horse’s staple diet for some months prior to his rating at Trentham. The evidence of Miss Prime, a stablehand in the employment of Mr H. Henderson, at Te Awamutu, showed that originally her instructions from Mr Vincent were that Collovet could be safely fed up to three days before a race, but that to be on the safe side she should allow four days. About two weeks before the meeting at Trentham, however, Mr

Vincent had told her that it could be safe to feed Collovet up to three days or even perhaps two days before a race. 4. That the conclusion was inescapable that caffeine in some form had been administered to Elkiro after his race on the Saturday, and before he raced on the Wednesday.

5. That the remains of feed in the manger of the box occupied by Elkiro at Trentham, of which the racecourse inspector, Mr Harper, took possession on Monday, July 19, showed a positive for caffeine. Mr Vincent denied, not only to a Conference official, Mr N. A. Sowter, but also in evidence before the committee, that he had administered the drug, but although there was no direct evidence of the administration of the drug by Mr Vincent, the circumstantial evidence had led the committee to the conclusion there was no other possible explanation of the positive than that Mr Vincent was guilty of such administration under the Corrupt Practice Rule, the statement said. Mr Vincent will be allowed two months in which to dispose of his interest in Elkiro and any other horses in which he may be interested.