Group One-winning trainer John Morrisey has failed in an appeal against a nine-month disqualification for a cobalt related offence.
Originally from Canberra, Morrisey has been based at the Gold Coast for more than a decade.
He was charged after cobalt was detected in a urine sample taken from Gorada who raced at the Gold Coast on December 31.
At the original inquiry, Morrisey told Racing Queensland stewards Gorada was an excitable mare who sweated heavily and, on advice, he had been adding a supplement called “Bleedex” to her feed.
Morrisey told stewards he had been advised that “Bleedex” powder did not contain any prohibited substances.
Stewards sent a portion of the “Bleedex” supplement for analysis and subsequently received a report that the supplement contained cobalt.
Morrisey was then charged with administering the supplement for a significant period before the mare raced at the Gold Coast.
While Morrisey pleaded guilty, he reiterated he had been unaware that the product he administered contained a substance in breach of the rule.
He was disqualified for nine months after stewards took into account his guilty plea, his unblemished record over a long period as a leading trainer, his forthright and honest evidence and relevant penalty precedents.
Morrisey appealed his penalty to the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission asking for an internal review.
In a short written judgment released this week QRIC Commissioner Ross Barnett confirmed the stewards’ decision.
Morrisey trained Camarena to win the 1999 Queensland Derby and Lachlan River to win the race six years later.
The trainer can take his appeal further to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
