Zarooni

My own feeling is that this is the first time a trainer has been outted.

Tanlic is this kind of 'medecine' ok in your opinion too ?
 
I have to agree with Greg Wood. It's a big story and it's already crossed over on the BBC from sports news bulletins to general ones.
 
On The Bridle said:
This reeks to high heaven. I sincerely hope it's not the start of a cycling "everyone was at it" type scenario. We bought 4 yearlings at the sales four years ago. One by a first season sire was a fine big muscular type. He fell away to nothing within 3 weeks of being brought home - definitely on steroids...
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Cycling's biggest issue is that it has the best testing of any sport - hence they have the most failed tests.

Not saying everyone in racing is at it but they do very very few tests relative to many other sports and I'd imagine few out of competition tests and none when you register your horse as being "out of training".

If your horse is "out of training" then it sounds like it could be pretty much a free for all.

Martin
 
Yes, Sunybay, it's not just the wretched Al Zarooni who's going to suffer.

Crisford is dead meat. as will be at least one vet (unless you believe Al Z is administering the stuff himself).
 
The fact the BHA chose to grow a back bone and out Godolphin will not go down well with Sheikh Mo. I'd expect a lot of nervousness from people who earn their living from racing ina and around Newmarket.
 
Sheikh said:
The fact the BHA chose to grow a back bone and out Godolphin will not go down well with Sheikh Mo. I'd expect a lot of nervousness from people who earn their living from racing ina and around Newmarket.
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I'd like to think that you underestimate Shiekh Mohammed if you think he'd pull out of racing because he got caught. It wouldn't be the same as the Aga Khan's case where he refused to run his horses in Britain because he felt that he had been hard done by with Aliysa.
 
simmo said:
I'd like to think that you underestimate Shiekh Mohammed if you think he'd pull out of racing because he got caught. It wouldn't be the same as the Aga Khan's case where he refused to run his horses in Britain because he felt that he had been hard done by with Aliysa.
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No he wouldn't pull out of racing. The BHA have gone public with this in a big way and that will not sit well with him or his family. Perhaps a few will fall on their swords to save face for Sheikh Mo but convincing the racing World that he was unaware of goings on will take a great deal of manoeuvring. Interesting times ahead. No racing jurisdiction can afford to lose Maktoum money.
 
If the BHA really have risked that, and I'm not sure they have, then they deserve a huge amount of credit for putting principles of integrity ahead of pragmatism.

With the Aga Khan it wasn't so much the positive test itself that he had a problem with, but that the Jockey Club's testing procedures weren't up to snuff and there was a rash of unexplained positive tests for camphor.
 
I dont think this will affect the sheiks investment here one iota. If it did, then that would reflect badly on him but just sense that isn't his style at all

If this is simply down to the trainer, which at first glance would appear to be the case, then that's that. Why he did it, god only knows..

And why should crisford get the boot?
 
Interesting talking about this on Warren Hill this morning, lots of very mixed views.

Godolphin will be unhappy it's all so public. The BHA are treading a fine line between upholding the regulations and the Arab backing of uk racing. I can't see Zarooni getting let off.

As to yearlings at the sales - why are you not ticking that box on sales dockets requesting the blood sample to be taken and tested that every single European sales company offer at public sales? In the grand scheme of things it's a small cost...
 
It's crossed over the news because it's Sheikh Mo. Other than Coolmore no other owner would get a mention in the main news.
There is no way SM will stop any investment anywhere in his horses, it is his passion. He makes no money from it but that's not why he does it.
Zarooni will go as in no way could he stay even if forgiven, he will resign before he is sacked.
Crisford's employment has been an puzzle to a lot of people for many years but he won't go over this.
I am amazed the vet didn't know/realise what he / she was doing but if the trainer said do it, if he/she refused, they would just ask someone else to do it if they were being deliberate in their actions.
 
Hmmm, can't even smoke a joint in Dubai...

I thought drugs was a big issue over there.
 
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I know what you are saying Miesque about it all being made public but at the end of the day Zarooni is clearly in the wrong and they couldn't exactly go off behind closed doors, slap him on the wrist and hush it up. Its a monumental breach of the rules. Of course he knew it is illegal. Whether there were vets involved is debatable - its easy enough to jab a horse intra-muscularly and I'd imagine the substances are easy enough to get hold of via the US. Trainers over there self-administer all the time so no reason not to think it couldn't happen over here.

I think no doubt it has crossed over the news because its the highest profile owner in this country bar the Queen. But its substance abuse of at least 11 horses not 1. And in the wake of the Lance Armstrong revelations, any news journalist worth their weight is going to jump on something like this. And it reassures racing's critics that the industry is as bent and crooked as Dick Francis et al would have us believe.

As for Crisford, well I used to babysit for him and thought he was pretty straight up. He has stayed so long because he is loyal and says the right thing at the right time. John Ferguson (not sure how much involvement he still has now he's training) & Diana Cooper also have considerable input. However don't forget Sheikh Mo got rid of Anthony Stroud years ago and he was his right-hand man.
 
How long do steroids stay in a horse's system for? Could they have been administered while the horses were in Dubai and could that be a defence because they weren't in training in the UK at the time?
 
He had very good proven reasons for getting rid of Stroud. Ferguson, Cooper and Crisford not in the same mould. Crisford struck me like Warren, yes sir no sir three bags full sir and SHM not that easily fooled so a mystery still.
 
No I used to babysit his kids for him! He was a nice bloke (way nicer than Warren!)

I wasn't going to mention the reason for Stroud's departure - I think AS was surprised 'cos at the time a fair few were taking liberties but Stroud just got found out. But it did go to show that SMo wasn't the soft touch he was made out to be at the time.
 
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