Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) Stewards have issued a charge against licensed trainer-driver Darren Cole under Australian Harness Racing Rule (AHRR) 190(1), which reads:

A horse shall be presented for a race free of prohibited substances.

It is alleged that the horse ‘Aldebaranspartacus’ was presented to race at Geelong on 27 September 2023 when not free of cobalt, a prohibited substance when evidenced at a concentration above the allowable threshold.

The charge will be heard by the Victorian Racing Tribunal (VRT) on a date to be fixed.