A stalls handler produced a used syringe from his pocket as the runners approached the starting stalls moments before a race, the Guardian can reveal.
The incident, which raises fresh concern over racecourse security, happened at Wolverhampton in early 2014 and was dealt with quietly by the Arena Racing Company (ARC), on the grounds that the handler concerned had made a mistake and did not intend to affect any of the horses with which he was working.
The handler, whose name is known to the Guardian, told his stunned colleagues that he had been working with sheep that morning. It is believed the syringe, which was intended for oral dosing and had no needle, had been used to administer a worming medication.
“I’ve worked in the industry all my life and I couldn’t believe it,” said Don Corr, who was also working as a stalls handler that day. “I went to the team leader and said: ‘Bloody hell, that guy’s got a syringe in his pocket.’ You just don’t do it.
“It was the seven-furlong chute. We were waiting at the back of the stalls and the horses were on their way down. There were cameras on us.”
Corr says the starter and assistant starter, who are employed by the British Horseracing Authority, were at the start but did not see the incident and were not made aware of it.
The ARC, which employs stalls handlers at a number of its tracks including Wolverhampton, confirmed on Thursday night that the incident had occurred and the man in question had been given a verbal warning.
The incident appears especially relevant in the week of the BHA’s Hughie Morrison hearing, which has been puzzling over the question of how an anabolic steroid could have got into the low-rated filly Our Little Sister. Morrison has suggested she could have been “got at” while away from his yard at a racecourse, a line of inquiry which BHA investigators were slow to pursue.
For Corr and another stalls handler who witnessed the incident, the lesson to be drawn is the importance of hiring the right people. Handlers have complained before about the ARC’s hiring policies and say that standards are higher at Racetech, which employs stalls handlers at most British Flat-racing tracks.
Corr said: “If you asked some of those [ARC] guys what racing yards they worked in, they couldn’t tell you. They say they have equine experience but these racehorses are different. When they come down to you at the start, they’re fire. This game is a different ball game.”
He said the syringe incident illustrated “the kind of mentality of the people who have been taken on”. His colleague said: “Any racing lad would have known that was a complete no-no.”
According to Corr, the handler who brought a syringe to work was subsequently made into a full-time handler by the ARC, having been working on a casual basis at the time.
The ARC issued a statement saying: “This incident involved an empty plastic syringe with no needle. The incident was made aware to ARC management and was a genuine mistake by the individual involved. The safety and welfare of any horse, jockey or other person was not compromised.”
It appears the matter was never reported to the BHA, whose spokesman said: “The BHA is not aware of this incident and therefore cannot comment on the specific details. More generally, when horses are down at the start of a race they are overseen by the starter and his assistant, who would be in a position to prevent or report any activity which is contrary to the rules of racing or a horse’s welfare.”
Morrison expects to learn his fate on Friday morning, following a two‑day hearing this week. His barrister argued that no punishment should be imposed on an innocent man but the trainer is at risk of a ban running into several years if the panel decides he was probably to blame for the positive test.
Friday’s tips, by Chris Cook
Southwell
11.50 Queens Royale 12.25 Barista 1.00 Tilly Devine 1.35 Piazon 2.10 Gabrial’s Star 2.45 Star Ascending 3.20 Swift Cedar
Ayr
11.55 McGowan’s Pass 12.30 Cruachan 1.05 Nortonthorpelegend (nap) 1.40 Uncle Alastair 2.15 Lough Derg Jewel 2.50 Charmant 3.25 Derriana Spirit
Uttoxeter
12.00 Northandsouth 12.35 Chef Des Obeaux 1.10 Catching On 1.45 Freddies Portrait 2.20 Big Picture 2.55 Crank Em Up 3.30 Don Des Fosses
Ascot
12.45 Whiskey In The Jar 1.20 Divine Spear 1.55 Mr One More 2.30 Benatar 3.05 Sky Pirate 3.40 Portrush Ted (nb)
Wolverhampton
5.45 Equilibrium 6.15 Racehorse 6.45 Brigand 7.15 Gracious John 7.45 Frank The Barber 8.15 Ted’s Brother 8.45 Champagne Pink
