KEEPING DRUG USERS OUT OF SADDLE

Former champion jockey Lance O'Sullivan was, a few months ago,
interviewed by a radio station on drugs in horse racing.

Racing's "Mr Clean" bagged the suggestion that drugs were rife in the
horse industry.

Paraphrasing, O'Sullivan said apart from a few stablehands racing was
relatively clean of drugs, even compared with many sports.

Chief racecourse inspector John McKenzie agrees.

It's his job, inevitably, to weed out the drug takers and put them to
the sword.

Like Lisa Cropp.

McKenzie has been busy in the past 12 months. Everyone paid a lot of
attention to Lisa Cropp, whose massive methamphetamine positive back
in 2005 and her sad, three-year fight through the courts dragged
racing's image through the mud.

John McKenzie and his Waikato-based colleague Bryan McKenzie both
claim a spike in positive returns to illicit substances in racing has
been reached and suddenly subsided.

Subsequent to Cropp's detection and eventual disqualification,
Malaysian apprentice Mohammed Yusof returned a methamphetamine
positive and a few weeks ago left the country illegally, on a stolen
passport, according to police.

The two McKenzies fell short of throwing a party, but were pleased to
see the end of someone who had been an extremely disruptive influence
in Matamata. Interpol were advised of Yusof.

A fellow Malaysian apprentice last week unexpectedly flew home after
being drug tested.

Drug testing of jockeys was introduced as recently as
1996.

"Before that we didn't have the facilities," said John
McKenzie.

Cannabis was the original target. Methamphetamine, officially more
than 100 years old, was unheard of in social circles in those days.

"We had the highest test possible [770mls per litre of urine] to
cannabis from a trackwork rider in the South Island, who then went to
Australia and rode trackwork illegally and for his trouble got another
two years' disqualification."

Methamphetamine has become a much greater problem to society and to
horse racing, but McKenzie says cannabis use is still strenuously tested for.

"The problem is it stores in your eyes, testes and brain, all very
important to riding racehorses."

One of the problems with meth detection is it is very difficult to
test for after 48 hours of use, whereas cannabis will generally remain
in the system for at least 20 days and often much longer, depending on
the level of use.

Which is why racecourse detectives have no issues with continually
testing jockeys suspected of using drugs and those alleged to be using.

"All riders are tested at least once annually. Regular riders are
tested at least twice and targeted riders all the time."

Observation of providing urine samples is allowed, but only to a
point.

McKenzie says "vigorous" observation is not permitted under the Bill
of Rights.

As a result tests have been falsified.

"Overseas, there are concealed strap-on contraptions that can excrete
urine that does not belong to the wearer."

Methamphetamine can have a serious effect on voiding
urine.

"We always had a problem with Lisa Cropp providing a sample. She had a
lot of trouble voiding and was always the last on the course when
asked to test."

Detectives show no sympathy to those caught.

New Zealand's best rider Opie Bosson received none when he supplied
fellow rider Bruce Herd with a sample Herd presented as his own on
raceday.

The sample was clear and Herd and Bosson were instead charged with a
serious racing offence.

Had Herd returned a positive to cannabis the likely penalty would have
been three months.

Instead, Herd copped 16 months' disqualification and Bosson four
months' disqualification.

The detection and penalties lately should seriously slow any drug
usage.

"Any rider that perceives they can beat the drug regulations is a
fool," says McKenzie.

Tomorrow, illegal drugs in racehorses.