Horse trainer who commited blood doping, placed bets banned for 20 years

A Tasmanian harness trainer and driver has been banned for 20 years, after pleading guilty to doping horses, administering shockwave therapy and placing bets against his own runners.

A months-long investigation by TasRacing's Integrity Unit resulted in 25 charges laid against 31-year-old Beauty Point-based trainer and driver Conor Crook.

He pleaded guilty to all charges, which stemmed from 12 separate harness racing rule breaches.

Among them were four counts of administering EPO (Recombinant Human Erythropoietin) to horses, with each count carrying a penalty of four years' disqualification.

The TasRacing Integrity Unit found that Mr Crook administered EPO to four horses in April and May this year, prior to running in Launceston.

Administering EPO is also known as blood doping and is used to gain an unfair advantage by increasing the blood's capacity to carry oxygen to a horse's muscles.

One horse, Maebee, had EPO administered to it on two occasions.

Two offences occurred on April 4, while three took place on May 10, prompting an inspection of Mr Crook's stables in which investigators seized vials, caps, vial capping clamps, labels and blenders.

As well as administering EPO to four of his horses, Mr Crook was also charged with manufacturing and selling a product he called "Matrix 1.5", which contained hyaluronic acid — a legal joint lubricant and anti-inflammatory for horses.

Mr Crook's phone was also seized during the inspection, which revealed he had also purchased EPO from India, and had closely tracked its delivery and clearance through customs.

Investigators say he also engaged third parties who took delivery of EPO on his behalf.

Shockwave therapy used before race

During the raid, investigators say they also seized a shockwave machine which they alleged Mr Crook used on a horse, Winsum Bella, prior to it racing in Launceston on May 1, this year.

Being in possession of a shockwave machine carries with it a penalty of six months' disqualification, while performing shockwave therapy is punishable by a one-year disqualification.

Shockwave therapy is not completely banned, but must be performed by a registered vet, and a horse that has been administered shockwave therapy cannot race for the following seven days.

Investigators determined Mr Crook had performed the shockwave therapy on Winsum Bella following a forensic analysis of his phone, which he initially refused to surrender.

That phone analysis also found irregular betting activity where Mr Crook instructed a third party to place bets on his behalf, on an account not in his name.

Of the 23 bets placed, 14 were placed on horses to finish ahead of those trained by him, and nine were placed on horses competing in races in which Mr Crook was also a driver.

'Not acceptable in any context'

Mr Crook was handed an interim suspension in June while the investigation took place, with a final decision declared yesterday.

In total, Mr Crook was handed penalties totalling 52 and a half years, but the 25 offences were bundled into a 20-year ban.

Other offences included obstructing and hindering stewards in relation to providing a mobile phone, and providing false and misleading evidence.

He was also fined $1,350 and ordered to pay costs of $24,027.

The decision panel, comprising Barbara Scott, Arnold Hyde and Trevor Styles, concluded that Mr Crook's actions were "a deliberate operation that severely compromised both animal welfare and public confidence in the harness racing industry".

TasRacing chief integrity officer Heidi Lester said "this type of behaviour is not acceptable in any context".