The Racing Appeals and Disciplinary (RAD) Board issued French trainer Mikel Delzangles with a $2000 fine for treating his Melbourne Cup runner Dunaden on race morning with an anti-ulcer treatment.
2011 Melbourne Cup winner Dunaden. Photo by Taron Clarke.
Racing Victoria Stewards charged Delzangales with breaching AR Rule 178 (E) (1), which says that no treatment is permitted to be administered to a horse twenty-four hours or after the previous midnight before it is entered to race.
The drama unfolded at Flemington on Tuesday when a security guard reported that stablehand Mathieu Brasmes had administered ‘Twydil Stomach Care’, an anti-ulcer paste, to Dunaden not knowing that it was against the rules of racing.
Delzangles pleaded guilty to the charge, telling the inquiry that it was an honest mistake.
“I feel bad,” Delzangles told the inquiry..
“It’s not good for racing. We made a mistake and we will not do it again.
“Matthew (Brasme) didn’t think he was doing anything wrong.”
Dunaden was allowed to run in the Group 1 $6m Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on Tuesday after it was established that the paste contained no prohibitive substances but the French galloper was unable to repeat his 2011 winning performance and finished eleventh to the Gai Waterhouse trained Fiorente.
RV Integrity General Manager Dayle Brown said that further swab tests taken from Dunaden on Tuesday had come back clear and said that the this offence did not come under the umbrella of the six month mandatory disqualification as outlined by the Australian Racing Board.
Early in the Spring Carnival Adelaide trainer Paul Beshara was disqualified for six months after being found guilty of administering race day treatment to his galloper Happy Trails, but Brown said that the two cases were of different levels.
“It’s not in the same universe as the Beshara case,” Brown said.
“Culpability is at the low end, we would ask for a fine.”
Melbourne Cup winning trainer Gai Waterhouse was to face similar charges today for treating Tres Blue with a hoof ointment on race morning but has had her hearing re-scheduled until next Friday, November 15.
Tres Blue was also allowed to run in the Melbourne Cup after it was established that the ointment, flamazine, contained no prohibitive substances.
