Malaysia's top horse trainer alleges rampant doping by gang<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Malaysian horse racing was hit by
\nallegations of doping by an organized gang on Thursday after four
\nhorses failed blood tests and were barred from competing in the
\nnorthern state of Penang.<\/p>\n
One of the top trainers in the country, K. Velayuthan, claimed
\nthat he and other trainers were victims of an organized group
\ndoping horses to fix race results. Velayuthan lodged a police
\nreport Sunday after a blood test confirmed that his four horses
\nwere doped.<\/p>\n
A police spokesman, speaking to The Associated Press on
\ncondition of anonymity, confirmed that several stable workers
\nhave been questioned in connection with the allegations, but no
\none has been arrested.<\/p>\n
Velayuthan said he was offering 10,000 ringgit (US$2,631) for
\ninformation to nab the culprits.<\/p>\n
\"There have been many cases like this,\" Velayuthan told The
\nAssociated Press, accusing several circuits of having lax
\nsecurity.<\/p>\n
Velayuthan said it was still unclear what substance was used
\nto dope his horses and that full test results remained unknown.
\nPenang Turf Club officials were not immediately available for
\ncomment.<\/p>\n
\"This doping is normally done by people who have access to the
\nanimals,\" Velayuthan said. \"I am waiting for police to advise on
\nwhat precautionary measures can be taken.\"<\/p>\n
Malaysia's bustling horse racing circuit rakes in millions of
\nringgit annually. Two jockeys were arrested in Penang two years
\nago in connection with illegal betting activities.<\/p>\n
Off-track betting is illegal. On Christmas Eve, police picked
\nup 10 men, including a Singaporean and two Australians, and
\nseized betting slips and cellular phones from their hotel rooms.
\nThey were released on bail pending further investigation.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a turf club in the northern state of Perak has been
\nsued for defamation over the mix up of urine test involving two
\nhorses, The Sun newspaper reported Thursday.<\/p>\n
Azni Mohamad Azar claimed that his horse, Prince Igy, which
\nwas taking part in an equestrian competition, was wrongly
\nidentified as having tested positive for two banned substances in
\n1998.<\/p>\n
The Perak Turf Club, in filing its defense, acknowledged that
\nthe urine test results were those of another horse but said the
\nrecord had been straightened out.<\/p>\n
A judge will hear the case Feb. 16.<\/p>\n
Alcohol test<\/p>\n
In Hong Kong, a German champion jockey has been banned from
\ncompeting for a month on Thursday after failing an alcohol
\nbreathalyser test.<\/p>\n
Andrasch Starke was the first jockey to fail a test since
\nbreath testing was introduced in Hong Kong in September 1997.<\/p>\n
Starke was hauled before a Jockey Club inquiry after he failed
\nthe test when he was one of four jockeys randomly selected at a
\nrace meeting at the Sha Tin course in the New Territories on
\nDec. 26.<\/p>\n
He took a total of five tests on two breath testing machines
\nand was found to have above the permitted legal allowance of 22
\nmicrograms of ethanol per 100 milliliters of breath on each
\noccasion.<\/p>\n
He also failed a blood sample test conducted by a government
\nlaboratory.<\/p>\n
Starke, who won the International Jockey Series at the Happy
\nValley race course on Hong Kong island on his debut appearance on
\nDec. 13, pleaded guilty before the inquiry and submitted an
\napology for causing embarrassment to the club and the sport.<\/p>\n
The South China Morning Post reported last week that the 26-
\nyear-old was understood to have been celebrating on Christmas Day
\nwith his girlfriend, Anja, who had arrived from Germany just
\nbefore Christmas.<\/p>\n
\"I had some wine on Christmas night, just a little to
\ncelebrate. There was a lot of time between then and the racing
\nand I never thought there would be a problem,\" he said quoted by
\nthe Post.<\/p>\n
In a statement, John Schreck, chief stipendiary steward, said:
\n\"It was obvious to all members of the panel that Jockey Starke
\nwas clearly regretful of what had occurred.\"<\/p>\n
He added that after careful consideration, it had been decided
\nto suspend Starke's license to ride in races until Feb. 5, but
\nthe ban would not go into effect until after Saturday's race
\nmeeting.<\/p>",
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