Vitellious gets up in the last race at Turffontein on April 27. (JC Photos)
Vitellious Positive Case Carries Warning Off Penalty Under Guidelines, but there have been positives with this substance that have had mitigating circumstances
The warning off penalty for a class 1 substance does only happen after a second offense, but a first offense carries a 12 month suspension plus a R500,000 fine.
The following press release was published by the NHA:
The National Horseracing Authority confirms that upon analysis by its Laboratory, the presence of Methamphetamine, a FORBIDDEN SUBSTANCE (Class 1), was disclosed in a plasma specimen taken from VITELLIUS after it had won Race 9 at Turffontein Racecourse on 27 April 2025.
Subsequently, VITELLIUS (Trained by Mr W C Marwing) has been scratched from Race 8 at the Vaal Racecourse on Thursday, 29 May 2025 in terms of the provisions of Rule 74.3, which prescribes that this gelding be banned from racing for a period of 180 days.
74.3. Any horse known to have been administered a FORBIDDEN SUBSTANCE, or if a specimen taken from that horse contains a FORBIDDEN SUBSTANCE or exceeds the threshold for this substance, shall be banned from racing for a period of 180 DAYS. However, in the event that the FORBIDDEN SUBSTANCE is an anabolic steroid, the period will be 365 days.
An Inquiry will be opened into this matter.
Enquiries:
A D Hyde
Racing Control Executive
A positive for a Class 1 substance is the worst offense possible in terms of the administering of substances to horses.
The guidelines state the following for penalties relating to positives:
An inquiry provides the charged person with a chance to defend themselves and the below points under the guidelines should be noted:
2. Warning off
2.1 Inquiry Boards are advised to bear in mind that the schedule of penalties reflected
on the proposed penalty guideline document are nothing more than that (that being
guidelines), and these should not be applied mechanically. Inquiry Boards must
apply their minds to the facts relevant to any particular matter (as well as the
nature of any prior contraventions), so as to ensure that disqualifications are only
imposed in circumstances which properly justify the disqualification or warning off
of a trainer.
2.2 In applying the guidelines, an Inquiry Board should always be mindful that where
the guidelines make reference to a “warning off”, this is not the only option to
adopt. There may well be other factors, such as the nature of the prior offences,
which should be considered in arriving at a suitable penalty. A number of factors
which should be considered are referred to in this document.
Methamphetamine is a potent central nervous system stimulant and would have the effect too of temporarily increasing the heart rate and producing more blood – oxygen.
It is also one of the world’s most commonly abused human drugs.
It is known as crystal meth, a highly addictive and dangerous substance, but it can also be used in a controlled way as an inhaler for legitimate medical reasons.
The following article is worth reading because there have been cases where this drug found its way into a horse’s system due to the horse’s proximity to human use of the drug, whether the latter was for stimulation or medical reasons.
Click here to read the article
The inquiry will attempt to establish the facts and the betting patterns will also aid in the case.
Vitellius was backed in from 7/2 to 9/4 but considering the big drop in class he was taking from his previous race and his reduced merit rating he was not a surprise favourite in a field in which six of the nine runners had not earned in their previous starts.
