One of the horses, 5-year-old trotter Jimmy Cannon, was listed as dead on the Harness Racing New Zealand (HRNZ) website last month, amid rumours he has been shot. The other horse has since been cleared to race again.
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Stable to Stirrup Charitable Trust trainer Rebecca Nairn and chairman Carl Markham. Stable to Stirrup chairman Carl Markham, who also breeds standardbred racehorses, said most in the industry cared a lot about their animals, and wanted them to have a good life after racing. “People think we make all this money from the horses, then we dump them, and they get shot. But there are people [like the trust] who do care, and who will give them that second chance.
Jesse Alford injected horses he trained with formalin, a banned substance.
An animal rights group has called for a disgraced harness racing trainer caught injecting two horses with a prohibited substance to face criminal charges. Jesse Alford appeared at a penalty hearing before the Judicial Control Authority at Addington Raceway on Wednesday after pleading guilty to two charges of administering a prohibited substance on race day and one of attempting to administer a prohibited substance. At the hearing it was revealed that Racing Integrity Unit (RIU) investigators planted a hidden camera near the Woodend Beach stables the 30-year-old shared after receiving a tip he was doping horses.
Sam Sherwood16:45, May 05 2021
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Jesse Alford injected horses he trained with formalin, a banned substance.
Details of a secret sting that caught disgraced harness racing trainer Jesse Alford injecting two horses with a prohibited substance have emerged at a hearing where integrity officials called for him to be banned from the sport for nine years. Alford appeared at a penalty hearing before the Judicial Control Authority at Addington Raceway on Wednesday after pleading guilty to two charges of administering a prohibited substance on race day and one charge of attempting to administer a prohibited substance. At the hearing it was revealed that Racing Integrity Unit (RIU) investigators planted a hidden camera near the Woodend Beach stables the 30-year-old shared after receiving a tip he was doping horses.
All reported animal welfare offences were taken seriously and, as needed, referred to the agencies best placed to investigate, he said. An email to the Greyhound Protection League that insufficient evidence was available to pursue Turnwald for breaches of the Animal Welfare Act was a mistake, she said, and MPI had apologised. Will Appelbe, spokesman for animal rights group Safe, said he was surprised MPI had decided not to investigate as he regarded the case as “open and shut”. “Why is meth on the dog racing track not treated as seriously as meth on the streets?” he said.
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SAFE spokesperson Will Appelbe said recent events have proven that greyhounds continue to be at risk.
“The racing industry has injured at least 29 dogs since the review was announced,” said Appelbe. “To make matters worse, dogs are being drugged with banned substances, including meth.”
Last week, the Judicial Control Authority for Racing fined greyhound trainer Angela Turnwald $3,500 and disqualified them for four months in a doping case. The case was bought by the Racing Integrity Unit after the greyhound Zipping Sarah tested positive for methamphetamine. Only 7% of dogs are tested for banned substances.
“This was the third doping case in six months, and the second to involve the Class A drug methamphetamine.”