Ron Quinton avoids penalty in cobalt case

AAP - Thursday October 5

Trainer Ron Quinton has escaped a penalty over illegal levels of cobalt found in two of his horses with incorrectly labelled feed accepted as the likely culprit.

Advertisement
Boss Lane was one of the horses at the centre of Ron Quinton's cobalt case. Photo: Steve Hart

Quinton fronted a Racing NSW stewards inquiry on Thursday after pre-race urine samples taken from Boss Lane and Imanui in August revealed higher than permitted levels of cobalt.

Stewards carried out tests on the Barastoc Phar Lap feed Quinton was using with the analysis finding cobalt levels 40 to 50 times that listed in the ingredients.

Quinton said the Barastoc Phar Lap feed was the only explanation.

"Obviously it's come from the feed. I have no suspicion of any of my staff. There's no chance. I'm not into that stuff," Quinton said.

"All we ever do is aminoplex (a vitamin and amino acid injection) on a Monday morning and the only treatment they have is if they've got an infection or a cut on their leg.

"I had been feeding this feed for 10 to 12 years and have never had a problem and all of sudden in the period of one month I've got all sorts of problems.

"I have total respect for the Rules of Racing but this was totally out of my control."

RacingNSW chief investigator Nathan Heywood visited Quinton's Randwick stables on August 3 after Duchess Pedrille, The Gavel, Boss Lane, Chiquita and Imanui returned high, but not excessive, readings from tests taken in July.

Chief steward Marc Van Gestel said the National Measurement Institute found the cobalt levels in the feed used by Quinton were 40 to 50 times the 0.5 milligrams of cobalt per kilogram listed on bags taken from the stables.

Racing NSW senior veterinary surgeon Dr Craig Suann said if Boss Lane and Imanui were fed three kilograms of the pre-mixed feed daily for several weeks it was "conceivable the elevated urine samples could be attributed to the feed".

Stewards tested Dixie Blossoms, Daysee Doom and Imanui after Quinton stopped using the feed and their cobalt levels were within the permitted range.

Imanui finished fourth in a Benchmark 80 Handicap (1500m) at Rosehill on August 12, and returned to racing last month.

Boss Lane was also fourth in the Group Two Missile Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on August 5 and has not raced since.

Quinton was found guilty under the rule governing presenting horses to race with prohibited substances in their systems and disqualified both horses from their respective races.

Boss Lane returned a reading 118 micrograms per litre of urine and Imanui 157 mcg/L.

The allowable threshold is 100mcg/L.

Once Quinton's case emerged stewards warned trainers about the particular batches of feed and also told them to be careful when ordering custom-made horse feeds, feed additives, and/or supplements as some manufacturers were not listing all the active constituents, and/or the concentration of all active constituents on the labels.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Kiwi Stayer Chasing Melbourne Cup Golden Ticket
Wolfgang, who races as Mister Wolfgang in Australia, will get his first opportunity to earn a golden ticket into the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) when he heads to Flemington on Saturday.
Goffs Orby Day 2 - Trio of Million Dollar Yearling Fillies
The second day of the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale took off overnight with three individual yearlings selling for a million or more with the full sister to dual Group I winning champion 2YO Colt Blackbeard selling for €1.9 million to MV Magnier.
Autumn Glow Epsom Challenge - Just How Big Is This Task?
With the unbeaten Autumn Glow set to run as the first odds-on favourite this century in the Epsom Handicap on Saturday we thought we’d run some data to see how big this mountain is that she’s attempting to climb, and turns out, it’s pretty big.
Sires With Winners - Tuesday September 30
Here is the full list of 27 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
2025 G1 The Metropolitan Field and Barrier Draw
Chris Waller and Ciaron Maher are set to have half of the Group I Metropolitan field between them with the Waller trained Birdman an easing favourite after drawing a wide gate for Saturday’s race.
She's Unusual Keeps Good Times Rolling
Continued success with resident stallion Unusual Suspect and their racing team has kept Nigel and Adaire Auret busier than they may have envisaged, but without any complaints.
Youngsters Impress Leading into Magic Millions Horses in Training Sale
The build up to the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Horses in Training Sale has intensified with a swag of impressive breeze up performances over the past week.
Sires With Winners - Monday September 29
Here is the full list of 22 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Swettenham Stud Delighted with Lofty Strike Foals
Swettenham Stud are delighted with the growing buzz of excitement surrounding the first foals for young gun sire Lofty Strike.
Satono’s Stunning Stats Continue as Rich Hill Sires Shine
Rich Hill Stud’s Group 1 stallion roster was the dominant force at Te Rapa’s premier meeting with their progeny claiming a feature race double.