Top Hunter Valley trainer Jason Mackay has been disqualified for two years after pleading guilty to charges relating to the presence of banned substance gonadorelin in two of his star greyhounds.
Australian Racing Greyhound reported the Richmond Vale conditioner, a multiple group 1 winner, was handed two-year sentences, to be served concurrently, for positive out-of-competition tests from Fantastic Raven and Zipping Maserati on Wednesday, June 22, in between the Richmond Derby and Oaks heats and finals.
Gonadorelin, or Fertagyl, is a gonadotropin-releasing hormone that is naturally released from the hypothalamus gland. It stimulates the pituitary gland to increase sex hormone production and can elevate testosterone levels in male greyhounds.
Fantastic Raven went on to finish second in the Richmond Oaks final two days later. Zipping Maserati was fifth in the derby decider. The Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission (GWIC) ordered both dogs be disqualified from the finals as part of last Thursday's decision.
After the initial results, GWIC inspected Mackay's kennels on August 6 and seized 10 barking muzzles. Mackay admitted to using the banned equipment a day earlier. GWIC inspectors also seized unlabelled and unprescribed prohibited and exempted substances. Mackay pleaded guilty to all related charges and was fined a total of $1900.
The two-year disqualification for the positive swabs came after Mackay was hit with an interim suspension on September 7 pending the completion of the inquiry. He appealed the suspension, was granted a stay and continued to train up until the disqualification hearing last Thursday.
Mackay and his legal representative attended the hearing, where he entered a guilty plea to all charges. The legal representative then brought evidence from a number of witnesses and made submissions on Mackay's behalf.
GWIC adjourned the hearing to consider the evidence and submissions before determining the penalties. GWIC found the charges proven and issued the sanctions.
In determining the disqualification period, GWIC said gonadotropin was a Category 1A substance, which indicated a three-year penalty.
However, Mackay's plea of guilty at the earliest opportunity gave him a 25 per cent reduction of penalty, which was applied to each charge. This cut the three-year disqualification to 27 months.
Other submissions considered related to Mackay's inability to explain how the substance came to be detected in the greyhounds and the significant financial impact a period of disqualification will have, noting that he had worked solely as a public trainer for about 25 years.
The commission noted that Mackay had been a trainer for about 35 years but "it was not considered a factor in mitigation, due to Mr Mackay's disciplinary history whilst licensed". This included positive swabs last year and in 2014 for other banned substances.
