Chin wants answers about his gold cup winner dope test

The Trinidad and Tobago Racing Authority (TTRA) is to launch an investigation into how a report from the Iowa State University, USA, on the blood/urine sample taken from Boxing Day Gold Cup winner Boggie Blues was change from “suspicious positive” to a positive test for a Class III drug, which is a prohibited drug.

TTRA chairman Derek Chin, who owns the four year-old American-bred horse, said the university’s chief chemist, Dr Albert Kind, is expected here next month to clear up the controversy surrounding the “positive” test.

He said that he would recuse himself from the inquiry because he may have to give evidence in the matter.

President of the Trainers Association (RTA) Glen Mendes has indicated to the racing industry technical adviser Chris Armond at a meeting on Monday that the association would want a representative as an observer at the inquiry since the TTRA has on its board a member of the Racehorse Owners Association (ROA).

Chin also wants to find out who in the TTRA advised the US laboratory to make the change from “suspicious positive” to positive and who breached confidentiality and leaked information that Boggie Blues’ dope test was positive.

He is blaming the laboratory for having to consult with anybody in order to determine whether a sample is negative or positive.

“It went against the understanding of what determines a negative or positive since the test was way below the established zero tolerance threshold levels by the laboratory,” the TTRA chairman said.

When Divine Bull was tested positive some years ago for a prohibited drug, the owner requested from the TTRA (under Joe Hadeed) the amount of substance in the sample and the TTRA’s official response was that (this same laboratory) does not do quantitative analysis and is unable to say how much of the drug was in the horse’s system. Divine Bull was automatically disqualified, one trainer said.

Racing officials are asking how Chin knows the quantity of the drug in Boggie Blues’ sample when the laboratory does not carry out that type of test.

Some racing officials claim that it is rather unusual for the laboratory to call the TTRA to find out how the test should have been classified.

Chin said when the second report came back positive, the TTRA asked the laboratory how nine nanogrammes (one billionth of a gram per milliliter of urine) could be considered a positive test.

He said that the laboratory carried out an investigation and a decision was made to reverse the report to negative.

The laboratory then sent back a supplemental final report giving the horse an all clear.

But questions are being asked about where is the original report.

Chin said indomethacin, which is an anti-inflammatory medication (Class III), was used on the horse two weeks prior to the race.

Under the rules of TTRA racing (rule 100 (A) 3), drugs in this class may or may not have an accepted therapeutic use in the horse. Many are drugs that affect the cardiovascular pulmonary and automonic nervous system. All have the potential of affecting the performance of a racehorse.

Prime said he has not received a copy of the report which said the test was positive.

The Arima Race Club (ARC) also came under fire for paying the $300,000 prize money to Chin on a supplemental report.

Former officials of the TTRA said in their 20 or more years at the authority there has never seen a supplemental report.

ARC President Hugh Lee King said he is going to ask the club’s CEO Ken Ogeer to request a copy of the original report.

Owner Zanim Meahjohn, whose horse Montejo narrowly lost the race to Boogie Blues, said he is going to ask his attorney to send a letter to the TTRA requesting a copy of the original report.

“I am doing this to preserve the integrity of the sport and not any battle for the first prize,” he said.
“What does a zero policy mean under which racing has been conducted?” he asked.

President of the RTA Glen Mendes and three other trainers met with the racing industry’s technical adviser (who is more or less functioning as the TTRA secretary) Chris Armond on Monday at the TTRA/BLB office at Santa Rosa Park, Arima hoping to get a copy of the original report from the laboratory.

But Armond, who is Chin’s employee, told the trainers that he is unable to release any report pending the inquiry.

Mendes said the RTA wants Trade and Industry Minister Stephen Cadiz to say whether Armond is working with the TTRA.

The RTA also wants a letter describing Armond’s function since they say it appears that he is performing the important functions of the TTRA.

Others in the racing industry claim that it appears that the acting TTRA secretary, Jacqueline Braithwaite, is not making decisions and has to get approval from Armond.

Chin is arguing that there is no zero tolerance level for drug testing, adding there is nothing like zero, which is a policy that was adopted by the TTRA since its inception.

“So every suspicious sample over the past ten years should be considered positive and there were some 500 cases?” he asked

He explained that the laboratory has its own threshold “levels” for every drug, which is the zero tolerance level.

Chin said when top trainer John O’Brien was banned for one month his horse Joezel had a reading of 163, which was over the threshold level of 50 nanogrammes. This, he said, was what made it a positive.

But racing officials are arguing that under the TTRA’s zero tolerance policy, in the past a number of trainers had their licenses suspended for minute traces of drugs.

They want to know whether there are now threshold levels for certain drugs. But Chin responded by saying said there has always been threshold levels.