Passfields Appeal Against Positive Swab Dismissed

Written By Kevin Pitstock, Editor & Australian Greyhound Racing Expert Contributor Wednesday 3rd December 2008  

On 27 November 2008, the Greyhound and Harness Racing Appeals Tribunal heard and determined an Appeal lodged by Peter Passfield against the positive swab taken from Mick’s Puzzle at The Gadrens on July 18th 2008.

At the time this was only the second positive swab to an Anabolic Steriod found in News South Wales since the new steroid rules came in to force on 1st July 2008.

Peter Passfield appealed against a conviction and fine of $1,000 imposed by Stewards in relation to a positive swab to 19-Norepiandrosterone in a post race urine sample, taken from Mick’s Puzzle at The Gardens on 18 July 2008.

Mr Passfield argued that the positive stemmed from only a “minor metabolite of nandrolone in a bitch that was on laurabolin for 2 yrs” and that “On vets advice he gave it to to her 6 weeks… before we raced her”..

Mr Passfield “proved beyond doubt in the hearing that this metabolite could be detected for 100 days following administration” and that in the postive that his “bitch was detected with 1ng/ml or one one billionth of norepiandrosterone”, the most persistant metabolite of nandrolone.

Unfortunately fro Mr Passfield, GHRRA Stewards under the drug rule of Greyhound Racing determined that “a metabolite whether it does or does not have any pharmacological effect is classed as a drug”.

The Appeals Tribunal considered the particular circumstances of the case, including the fact that Peter Passfield had an excellent record for 12 years as a Trainer and that the swab sample did not disclose any trace of the parent drug, only the metabolite.

The Appeals Tribunal dismissed the Appeal against the conviction, but reduced the fine from $1,000 to $400.

The Tribunal indicated that its decisions in the Passfield Appeal turned upon facts peculiar to those matters and they should not be regarded as being precedents for subsequent decisions.

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