By MIKE DILLON
Several issues are raised by the tragic death of jockey Jason Oliver in Perth two weeks ago.
Intriguing, but least important, is why call a horse Savage Cabbage?
More intriguingly, after Savage Cabbage broke a leg and fell on Oliver, who did not recover from his head injuries, vets took
a blood sample from the filly before putting her down. That is almost unheard of.
Sensationally, the sample showed the filly had in her blood the prohibited drugs phenylbutazone and oxyphenbutazone and analgesic - aspirin-like drugs known for their anti-inflammatory and pain-masking qualities.
Commonly known in racing by the general term bute, the drugs are legal in the blood of horses racing in most states of the United States, but are banned in England, Australia and New Zealand.
There has always been the suspicion that a horse racing on bute can run through the pain of a major leg injury and can shatter a leg because it cannot feel that injury worsen.
In the mid-1990s, New Zealand made a push to swab horses at barrier trials, but officials backed off in the face of trainer opposition.
"Trainers claimed that because they were merely getting horses ready to race, they should be permitted to use therapeutic drugs at trials," said chief racecourse inspector John McKenzie.
"There are therapeutic drugs which are permitted at that level, but bute is not one of them."
McKenzie said it is six or seven years since a horse has been swabbed at a barrier trial meeting.
"Back then we could swab, but we couldn't prosecute. Now we can.
"I've seen videos of horses in America break a leg and keep galloping because the bute in them masked the pain to that level.
"It is a huge danger for riders to be on horses running on pain-masking drugs because the horse doesn't know what it's doing.
"A horse in severe pain without bute will pull itself up - one on bute won't."
Savage Cabbage's Perth trainer, Steve Wolf, has to face stewards at an inquiry on November 29.
There are a lot of implications here.
It could get messy.
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BOX BOX BOX
New Zealand TAB executives yesterday confirmed they have been asked by the Victoria Racing Club stewards to reveal betting moves in this country on the A$1 million ($1.12 million) Victoria Derby.
The VRC is investigating the controversial scratching of joint Derby favourite Platinum Scissors, trained by Sydney's Gai Waterhouse.
Waterhouse has been charged with providing misleading information to stewards during a preliminary inquiry into the scratching.
On the Thursday morning before the Derby, Waterhouse claimed Platinum Scissors was fine, then scratched him at 6pm Melbourne time that day.
At the time Platinum Scissors and eventual Derby winner Helenus were joint favourites at $2.70.
When Platinum Scissors was withdrawn, Helenus shortened to $1.70.
Stewards are clearly trying to establish whether someone with prior knowledge backed Helenus at the $2.70 before the withdrawal.
By MIKE DILLON
Several issues are raised by the tragic death of jockey Jason Oliver in Perth two weeks ago.
Intriguing, but least important, is why call a horse Savage Cabbage?
More intriguingly, after Savage Cabbage broke a leg and fell on Oliver, who did not recover from his head injuries, vets took
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