Second cobalt positive for Randwick trainer

Tom Walter - Wednesday September 20

In the wake of Racing NSW stewards warning trainers about potentially contaminated horse feeds, a second member of the Ron Quinton stable has returned a positive test to cobalt.

Ron Quinton. Photo: Steve Hart

Two certified laboratories confirmed the detection of cobalt levels above the threshold in a pre-race sample taken from Imanui prior to that horse finishing fourth at Rosehill on August 12.

Earlier this month, stewards notified Quinton that Boss Lane had returned illegal levels of cobalt in a urine sample taken before the gelding finished fourth in last month's Group II Missile Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.

The former champion jockey now trainer has publicly declared his innocence as stewards await results of analysis of additional feeds and supplements taken from his Randwick stables. 

"I've done nothing wrong. I'm not into that sort of stuff and I have an unblemished record in over 24 years of training," Quinton told News Limited.

An inquiry into the findings will be conducted at a date to be fixed.

On Tuesday, stewards advised trainers that some commercially available feeds, namely Barastoc Phar Lap Oats-Free Muesli Concentrated Feed, have been found to contain levels of cobalt "excessively above the disclosed analysis on the product label."

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