Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) Stewards remind all licensed trainers that it is an offence under the Australian Harness Racing Rules (AHRR) to possess, administer, cause to administer, attempt to administer or be a party to the administration or attempted administration of a product containing cobalt salts to a horse by injection.
AHRR 194B and 196E state the following:
Injectable product containing cobalt salts
AHRR 194B.
(1) A person must not have in his or her possession or on his or her premises any injectable product which contains cobalt salts.
(2) A person who fails to comply with sub-rule (1) is guilty of an offence.
Administering substances
AHRR 196E.
(1) The trainer and any other person in charge of a horse must not:-
(a) Administer;
(b) Cause to be administered;
(c) Attempt to administer; or
(d) Be a party to the administration or attempted administration of, a product containing cobalt salts by injection.
(2) Where the Stewards are satisfied that a horse has or may have been administered a product containing cobalt salts by injection contrary to sub-rule (1) the horse shall either be withdrawn or disqualified from the race.
(3) A person who fails to comply with sub-rule (1) is guilty of an offence.
There are a number of injectable veterinary products that have been either previously or currently registered and/or available for use in horses that contain cobalt salts, including:
- Troy Hemoplex Injection;
- Hemo-15 Vitamin-Amino Acid Injection;
- NV Haemo Injection.
(This list is not exhaustive.)
Possession and/or administration of these products (and any other registered or unregistered injectable products that contain cobalt salts) are prohibited under the AHRR.
The current formulation of NV V.A.M. Injection does not contain cobalt salts (as displayed on the product packaging) and the possession and use of this product is not prohibited. Whilst the current formulation of NV V.A.M. Injection does not contain cobalt salts (previously labelled on the older formulation as cobalt sulfate), the current formulation still contains Vitamin B12 (listed as Cyanocobalamin) which can elevate cobalt levels in a horse’s system.
Trainers are advised to check the ingredients of all injectable veterinary supplements in their stable and seek the advice of their registered veterinarian in relation to products that contain cobalt salts and alternative products that do not contain cobalt salts.
Further, trainers are also advised to carefully check the ingredients of any injectable veterinary supplements at the time of purchase to ensure that no injectable products are purchased or held that would be an offence under the AHRR.
For further information on this please contact HRV Integrity using one of the following options:
HRV Stewards – Phone – 03 8378 0292
Integrity Hotline – Phone – 03 9214 0651 or Email – integrity@hrv.org.au