O'Brien, Kavanagh Avoid Bans

Danny O'Brien (foreground) and Mark Kavanagh | Getty

The three-year cobalt saga of Flemington trainers Danny O'Brien and Mark Kavanagh has come to end, with both trainers picking up fines but avoiding bans for presenting horses to race with cobalt in their systems' above the permitted threshold. O'Brien, who had four horses test positive, was fined A$8,000, while Kavanagh was fined A$4,000 for one. Each of the embroiled horses will be disqualified from their races in question.

Racing Victoria had initially slapped O'Brien and Kavanagh with bans of four and three years, respectively, but the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal deemed that the trainers were unaware that cobalt had been present in substances administered to their horses. The Court of Appeal, the state's highest court, upheld that decision on Tuesday.

“If we had been charged with presentation in the first place, the matter would have been over in two weeks,” O'Brien told Racing.com. “We would have pleaded guilty and paid the fine. Instead, we have been pursued for three years over administration and it is there in black and white in the judgement that we had no knowledge of the administration. I'm glad it is basically all over and we can move on from here.”

Dr. Tom Brennan, former head of Flemington Equine Clinic, was banned five years for administering drips containing cobalt, but he too contends he did not know the medications contained cobalt.

Birchley Banned From NSW…

Liam Birchley, one of eight individuals charged as part of the Aquanita bi-carb scandal, has been banned from nominating horses to race in New South Wales. The Queensland-based trainer has been allowed to carry on in his home state.

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