Harness Racing New South Wales (HRNSW) Stewards concluded an Inquiry today that commenced on 16 April 2025 into a report received from the Australian Racing Forensic Laboratory (ARFL) that Deferoxamine was detected in the post-race urine sample taken from EXPLOSIVE BRONSKI following its win in Race 3, TIGER TARA @ MEDOWIE LODGE PACE (1609 metres) conducted at Tabcorp Park Menangle on Tuesday 16 January 2024.
Deferoxamine was not detected by Racing Analytical Services Limited in Victoria in the reserve portion or the control solution.
On 16 April 2025, Dr Wainscott provided evidence that it was his belief that this detection of deferoxamine by the ARFL was the first of its kind in the world. Also on that date, evidence was presented to the Inquiry that dirt from the horse’s sheath had fallen into the urine sample.
Consequently, the Inquiry was adjourned on that date to allow HRNSW Stewards to conduct further investigation, including further analysis of the remaining samples in an attempt to determine the source of the deferoxamine after environmental contamination was identified as a possibility.
Mrs Towers appeared at the resumption of the Inquiry today.
HRNSW Regulatory Veterinarian Dr Martin Wainscott presented further evidence to the Inquiry, including investigations conducted by ARFL that confirmed bacterial activity in the ‘A’ portion of the urine sample.
In addition, Dr Wainscott presented a report from Professor Greg Challis in which he provided his professional opinion that “the finding of desferrioxamine B in one of the two samples most likely resulted from contamination with a bacterium able to produce this widely distributed iron sequestering metabolite”.
Following consideration of the totality of the evidence, HRNSW Stewards could not be comfortably satisfied that the substance Deferoxamine was in the horse’s system at the time it was presented to race and were satisfied the Deferoxamine was subsequently produced as a result of bacterial contamination after the collection of the urine sample.
Consequently, HRNSW Stewards took no action against Mrs Towers.
In addition, as Stewards found that the horse was not presented to race with a prohibited substance in its system, no action was taken against the horse and the original placings for the subject race would remain.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
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Name:
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Michael Prentice Clint Bentley
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Position:
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Chief Integrity Officer Chairman of Stewards
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Phone:
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(02) 9722 6600 (02) 9722 6628
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Email:
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mprentice@hrnsw.com.au cbentley@hrnsw.com.au
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