Racing: Photo finish between licit and illicit

Owners and trainers call it the edge - the X-factor that makes the difference between a horse being in or out of the money. As in most sports, that difference can be hairline - and may not always be legal.

Trainers, often under pressure from owners, tread the fine line between potions that have a therapeutic effect and those that enhance performance and are not allowed to be in the horse's system on race day.

Some may be drawn across the line for the stake, a betting plunge, or to boost the horse's price before sale.

The Blue Magic scandal is a serious embarrassment to an industry that has worked hard to earn a clean image.

It is the first major scandal to hit New Zealand racing since the late 1980s, when harness trainers resorted to "milkshaking" - a banned process by which a sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) solution is directed into a horse's stomach through a tube inserted in its nostril. This can improve performance by neutralising lactic acid, a key factor in fatigue.

But in recent years owners and punters have had less reason to suspect they are tossing money on to an unlevel playing field. Harness Racing NZ chief executive Edward Rennell says officials deal with a handful of cases each year, mostly for elevated bicarbonate levels. Here and in Australia steroid implants and anti-inflammatories are occasionally detected.

Blue Magic emerged as a possible wonder drug in Canada in 1997. But the only officially known Australasian case was in New South Wales in 1998, when Melbourne trainer Ted Demmler was suspended for nine months. He said he used it as a treatment for colic.

That's the official line. But the racing rumour-mill suggests Blue Magic has been a ticking timebomb here for several years. It is also suspected to have spread to thoroughbred racing (the gallops).

Geoff Beresford, general manager of Racing Laboratory Services, which analyses samples after races, says it's difficult to keep a lid on the range of chemicals in the industry.

"We try to cover as much ground as we can. But what we are covering and what may be falling through holes is almost impossible to assess because there are so many potential compounds. There's an element of deterrence in the testing regime."

Testing is more complicated than in athletics, where all performance-enhancers are prohibited at any time, Beresford says. In racing, it's only on race day that drugs must not be in the system. But he does not believe harness racing is awash with illegal drugs.

"Generally speaking, what we find is licensed animal remedies used too close to racing. It's exceptional to find someone using a drug in an underhand way."

Harness racing rules ban any substance which may affect a horse's speed, stamina, courage or conduct. Rules were tightened in February to make those in charge of the horse - ultimately the trainer - liable if any drug is found in the system on race day.

At the time of the rule change, Harness Racing NZ officials had few suspicions about Blue Magic. But in March a vial of a suspicious compound came into their hands and was sent for analysis.

About the same time, officials learned of a police investigation into an alleged doping and betting ring and the two agencies teamed up.

At that stage, Beresford's laboratory was unable to isolate Blue Magic from samples. But in April he learned of a method to identify it. He began checking samples stored around the country and found three positive swabs in two horses trained by Nigel McGrath.

Just what it does to improve performance has experts divided. Veterinarian Professor Cliff Irvine gave evidence to McGrath's judicial hearing that it was unlikely to improve respiratory capacity but could possibly assist the cardiovascular system.

The judicial committee preferred the view of Harness Racing NZ chief veterinary adviser Andrew Grierson that a cardiovascular boost was "probable rather than merely possible".