Racing: Keeping drug users out of saddle

Former champion jockey Lance O'Sullivan was, a few months ago, interviewed by a radio station on drugs in horse racing.

Racing's "Mr Clean" bagged the suggestion that drugs were rife in the horse industry.

Paraphrasing, O'Sullivan said apart from a few stablehands racing was relatively clean of drugs, even compared with many sports.

Chief racecourse inspector John McKenzie agrees.

It's his job, inevitably, to weed out the drug takers and put them to the sword.

Like Lisa Cropp.

McKenzie has been busy in the past 12 months. Everyone paid a lot of attention to Lisa Cropp, whose massive methamphetamine positive back in 2005 and her sad, three-year fight through the courts dragged racing's image through the mud.

John McKenzie and his Waikato-based colleague Bryan McKenzie both claim a spike in positive returns to illicit substances in racing has been reached and suddenly subsided.

Subsequent to Cropp's detection and eventual disqualification, Malaysian apprentice Mohammed Yusof returned a methamphetamine positive and a few weeks ago left the country illegally, on a stolen passport, according to police.

The two McKenzies fell short of throwing a party, but were pleased to see the end of someone who had been an extremely disruptive influence in Matamata. Interpol were advised of Yusof.

A fellow Malaysian apprentice last week unexpectedly flew home after being drug tested.

Drug testing of jockeys was introduced as recently as 1996.

"Before that we didn't have the facilities," said John McKenzie.

Cannabis was the original target. Methamphetamine, officially more than 100 years old, was unheard of in social circles in those days.

"We had the highest test possible [770mls per litre of urine] to cannabis from a trackwork rider in the South Island, who then went to Australia and rode trackwork illegally and for his trouble got another two years' disqualification."

Methamphetamine has become a much greater problem to society and to horse racing, but McKenzie says cannabis use is still strenuously tested for.

"The problem is it stores in your eyes, testes and brain, all very important to riding racehorses."

One of the problems with meth detection is it is very difficult to test for after 48 hours of use, whereas cannabis will generally remain in the system for at least 20 days and often much longer, depending on the level of use.

Which is why racecourse detectives have no issues with continually testing jockeys suspected of using drugs and those alleged to be using.

"All riders are tested at least once annually. Regular riders are tested at least twice and targeted riders all the time."

Observation of providing urine samples is allowed, but only to a point.

McKenzie says "vigorous" observation is not permitted under the Bill of Rights.

As a result tests have been falsified.

"Overseas, there are concealed strap-on contraptions that can excrete urine that does not belong to the wearer."

Methamphetamine can have a serious effect on voiding urine.

"We always had a problem with Lisa Cropp providing a sample. She had a lot of trouble voiding and was always the last on the course when asked to test."

Detectives show no sympathy to those caught.

New Zealand's best rider Opie Bosson received none when he supplied fellow rider Bruce Herd with a sample Herd presented as his own on raceday.

The sample was clear and Herd and Bosson were instead charged with a serious racing offence.

Had Herd returned a positive to cannabis the likely penalty would have been three months.

Instead, Herd copped 16 months' disqualification and Bosson four months' disqualification.

The detection and penalties lately should seriously slow any drug usage.

"Any rider that perceives they can beat the drug regulations is a fool," says McKenzie.

Tomorrow, illegal drugs in racehorses.