Thoroughbred stewards’ inquiry – Trainer Kelvin Moore (Vevinsky) - 28 March 2025
28 April 2025
Racing WA Stewards have concluded their deliberations with respect to penalty following Mr Kelvin Moore pleading guilty to a breach of Rule 240 (2) on 20 March 2025, where the particulars of the charge were:
that Mr K Moore was the licensed trainer of Vevinsky when it was brought to race at Broome on 24 August 2024, where it raced in and won Race 7 the Broome Cup, with the prohibited substance lignocaine, being a Prohibited List B substance, being detected in a post-race blood sample taken from it.
After considering all submissions and materials, the panel determined the appropriate penalty to be a fine of $7000.
Further acting under the provisions of AR 240 (1), Vevinsky was disqualified from the race in question with placings to be adjusted accordingly with all relevant prize money to be returned and redistributed accordingly. In assessing penalty the stewards noted, among other things:
• That the evidence before the panel demonstrated that all required standards and procedures with respect to the taking, packaging, sealing and analysis of the sample had been conducted in accordance with the required protocols.
• That where it can be satisfied that all standards and procedures have been adhered to, in those circumstances further testing is not required to establish the provenance of the sample, however in this case further testing did confirm the presence of metabolites indicating the sample had passed through a biological system.
• That there was no evidence of external contamination of the sample, which given the method of blood sample collection was a highly unlikely scenario.
• That there was no evidence or record of the use or administration of lignocaine at any relevant time by Mr Moore.
• That the inquiry was not able to establish how, when or why the substance came to be present.
• Mr Moore’s plea of guilty, long history and overall record of involvement in racing.
• Previous penalties issued in relation to Lignocaine in recent times which ranged from fines of $2500 to $5000.
• That the race in question was significant.
• The nature of the substance detected which is classed as therapeutic and the level of detection.
• The intent and purpose of the rule which was directed to ensuring a level playing field and maintaining the necessary confidence of those supporting or involved in the racing industry.
• That the provisions of AR 240 (1) are couched in mandatory terms and have been applied without exception when a horse is found to have competed in a race with any prohibited substance present.