Greyhounds 'doped with cocaine'

Greyhounds 'doped with cocaine'
By Johnny Caldwell
BBC News


Cocaine is being used by some Northern Ireland greyhound owners and trainers in a bid to win races, a report into doping in the sport has revealed.


Eight have been fined after their animals tested positive for banned substances including the Class A drug.

One Lisburn owner has had to surrender prize money and pay a 1,000 euros fine after his dog tested positive for cocaine following a race at Lifford.

Other substances included were amphetamine otherwise known as speed.

The report, which is the first from a new independent watchdog in the Republic, also documented one County Donegal greyhound enthusiast being fined after his animal was found with traces of herbal ecstasy in its system in April of this year.

More than half of all doping offences highlighted in the report were committed by people in Northern Ireland.

The Control Committee was set up earlier this year to investigate and take action against anyone found guilty of doping greyhounds.

'Tiny minority'

Londonderry greyhound enthusiast Cathal Curley said the figures represented "a tiny minority" of those involved in greyhound racing.

"People involved in the sport have no time for these people," Mr Curley said.

D.J. Histon, secretary of the committee and deputy CEO of the Irish Greyhound Board said he hoped the report's publication would "deter future would-be dopers" across the island of Ireland.

Mr Histon said that last year's positive detection rate from 5,500 samples worked out at 1%.

Link!

I have known a lot of people to give dogs steroids while they are in training and amp on raceday but never cocaine.

It is common, but not widespread, at least in Ireland.

A bloke who lives close to where my parents have their house was notorious for doping his greyhounds. He got caught last year when a dog he was training that was owned by Vinnie Jones (thuggish fotballer/actor bloke) failed a drug test at a big meet. ( http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,1737519,00.html )

Testing is regular and random which puts off a lot of people from going this way.

A showjumping horse who was a medalist at the 1996 games died of a cocaine overdose - heart attack was proximal cause. It used to be not-uncommon in the high-end jumping game and (so I've been told but do not know firsthand) in the racehorse game as well.

Random testing in high-end horse sport has sent shady trainers looking for more and more obscure stuff that won't show in the UAs. Personally, I believe that far more doping goes on in the racehorse world than in most other horse sport - except at the top of the racing game, testing is pathetic. Sort of like the "testing" in the NFL - more for show than to catch cheaters.

The hot new thing in international Dressage is anti-depressants for competitive horses. I've been pushed to try them on some of our horses, but I can't see the need - if the horse is miserable going in circles in the Dressage ring, why not change his training to something more rewarding, positive, and exciting? Giving him drugs to dumb him down just admits that the training program sucks badly.

Not surprisingly, my views are far out of mainstream in the horse world! %)

Peace,

Fausty

Expensive dog treats. Better run fast!