The blitz by Victorian stewards on raceday treatments has turned up another case with trainer Ricky Maund under investigation after fresh blood was found on the neck of a horse in his stable on Saturday.
Stewards found the sign of treatment on Timely Truce, who was entered for the Listed Hilton Hotels Stakes at Flemington.
The stewards told an inquiry Timely Truce had blood seeping from a puncture wound on its neck in the vicinity of the nearside jugular vein.
Maund told stewards he had treated Timely Truce on Friday with an amino preparation.
It is permitted to treat a horse with legal medications before raceday, but no treatments can be given on the day of the race.
The inquiry heard Maund had failed to record the administration of any amino preparation in his treatment book and could not produce any related packaging to support his assertion.
Maund said he had put the empty package in the back of his ute and it had blown away as he was driving.
After viewing images of the horse’s neck, a Racing Victoria vet told the inquiry the wound may have been inflicted as recently as 30 minutes before the photograph was taken.
Maund assured the stewards he had not treated Timely Truce within the prohibited period.
“We run a straight stable,” he said.
Chief steward Terry Bailey said the weight of evidence left them no choice but to scratch Timely Truce and adjourn the inquiry until samples from the horse could be analysed.
The Maund case follows similar investigations into possible raceday treatments involving trainers Jim Conlan, Robert Smerdon and Con Karakatsanis.
On Friday Victorian stewards disqualified Brisbane trainer Nathan Schofield for 12 months after finding him guilty of a similar offence.
