Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) Stewards have issued a charge against licensed trainer Justin Torney under Australian Harness Racing Rule (AHRR) 190A(4) which states:
Any person who is in possession of a substance specified in sub-rule (2) or a metabolite, artifact or isomer of such substance is guilty of an offence.
AHRR 190A(2) reads as follows:
For the purposes of sub-rule (1), the following substances are specified as prohibited substances:-
… (c) growth hormones and their releasing factors.
It is alleged that four (4) vials of a white substance labelled ‘EquiGen’ were located by Investigative Stewards at the registered stables of Mr Torney during a stable inspection on 13 October 2021.
Subsequent analysis confirmed that all four (4) vials contained equine somatotropin, which is a growth hormone.
The charge will be heard by the Victorian Racing Tribunal (VRT) on a date to be fixed.