Australian trainers Lee and Shannon Hope face a minimum of three years on the sidelines after being found guilty of administering cobalt for the purpose of affecting performance by the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board Thursday, according to published reports. The father-son training team was charged after three horses in their care returned samples with cobalt above the permitted threshold of 200 micrograms per liter of urine last year. It is the first of four cobalt cases to be heard in the state of Victoria, with the cases of high-profile trainers Peter Moody, Danny O'Brien and Mark Kavanagh still to come.
The RAD Board said in its findings it was unsatisfied with evidence provided by the Hopes–which suggested the cobalt positives had occurred through their feeding, supplement and medical routine and not intentionally–and that the board believes the Hopes knew more about cobalt than they let on.
The RAD Board said it thought Shannon, the younger Hope, would receive a harsher penalty than his father because he was responsible for the stable's feeding and supplementation program, according to Racing.com.
A decision on the penalty is expected early next week.
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