Leading harness trainer Cran Dalgety says he will fight to defend his name if needed after two of his stable returned positive swabs to cobalt.
Dalgety was left feeling sick to his stomach after Fatima Siad at Timaru on November 19 and Raukapuka Ruler at Addington on December 16 returned unacceptably high levels of cobalt.
Dalgety was informed of the positives on Tuesday and said while he is resigned to his two horses being disqualified from their wins, he will defend his reputation should any charges of administration be laid against him. "To be point blank honest about it, anybody who thinks I would give a horse something illegal to win a race at Timaru is crazy and I would be crazy to do it.
"I wouldn't jeopardise my career for a race where the trainer's percentage would hardly buy my family a dinner out. That's just ridiculous.
"All I can put it down to is we have changed some of our feeds recently and they, like a lot of feeds, have trace elements of cobalt in them.