Doping Case at Bong Bong

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 579, 4 February 1929, Page 6

Doping Case at Bong Bong

THE CUP FAVOURITE

A DASTARDLY AFFAIR The recent doping of Bronze Fuze at | the Bong Bong meeting, one ol N.JS.W - \ leading social events, aroused intense : interest and indignation throughout the j State, according to the Sydney "Morn- ; ing Herald.” One of the most dastardly and outrageous attacks to interfere with the j prospects of a racehorse was made at j the Bong Bong picnic race meeting to- j day. It was an extraordinary hap- j pening. without parallel in the pleasant and enjoyable annals of picnic racing. Unfortunately the attack succeeded, ; and a noble animal was writhing in agony in his stall at Moss Vale, j awaiting the arrival of tlio tsj dney j veterinary surgeon, Mr. Stewart, who j had been urgently summoned to his \ aid. The ugly incident has thrown quite a gloom over the town, which at J present is filled with a joyous crowd ot holiday makers. Everywhere regret is expressed for the suffering animal. It was not until after the principal race of the meeting was decided that those in authority realised that something was wrong with the favourite, Bronze Fuze, who, a:Ttr being uu ’;£* pectedly defeated, returned to the enclosure in a very distressed condition. He had won the Tirranna Cup in such decisive fashion that few of the large crowd would hear of his defeat. At Tirranna he started at double-figure odds. He was allotted 12st 21b for the Bong Bong Cup, but even with this huge impost he was favourite from the outset. wnen betting commenced the bookmakers cried “take 4 to 1,” and they did a al -T business. But the support accorded Anvil, another candidate, eventually brought the favourite’s price down, while Anvil’s quotation firmed. Restless Bronze Fuze was led out by the clerk of the course as the experienced amateur rider, Mr. J. Gaxieu, did not wish his charge to carry any superfluous weight until the correct time. When the field lined up Bronze Fuse was very restless, and as a consequence lost several lengths at the start. , TTS handicap was made up, and when he went to the front those present thought it would be a repetition of the Tirranna Cup race. The other riders, however, allowed the favourite to malic the running but once in the straight Anvil simply “cleared out” from his rival, and won in hollow style. Seeing that his charge was beaten Mr. Gaxieu eased him some distance from the Post, and as soon as he had pulled him up jumped off and led him bach to rhe enCl It U was then that the pitiful condition of the favourite was noticed. He was blind in both eyes, and was stumbling as he was led away to his stall, mr. Norman Devlin, chief stipendiary steward of the Southern Racing Districts Association, who was present, immediately conducted an examination of the horse. His loins appeared to be paralysed, and he had the greatest difficultv in moving. His eyes with dilated and bloodshot, and his mouth inflamed. Mr Devlin wanted to secure a swab, but as "he afterwards informed the •Herald" representative “there was no saliva in the mouth, which was as dry as a piece of cement.” Thrown Off

Mr. Devlin lost little time in interviewing a number of bookmakers, and after a time he approached a man, and asked him to leave the course. "Why.'' asked the man, but he received a curt -warning to clear out, and he promptly departed. , . Mr. Devlin said it looked like a clear case of doping, but as to who was responsible was a difficult problem. 1 he horse had been closely guarded while in Moss Vale. On the course he had also been closely watched, although the trainer, N. Dewsbury, had occasion to leave his charge for a few minutes. Possibly a capsule containing morphine or "snow” had then t>een handed to the animal. There was also a possibility that while in' his stall at Moss Yale some person had somehow contrived to insert a thistle containing a concealed drug. Naturally the owner, Mr. 11. C Osborne, well known in racing and polo circles, was very upset. As soon as Mr. Devlin had examined the stricken horse, he sent a wire, in which he said that the horse showed symptoms of doping, as his eyesight was affected and the mouth was dry and feverish. Mr. Osborne concluded his wire with the request that a veterinary surgeon should visit the horse that night. A Game Horse The doping of Bronze Fuze, the favourite for the Bong Bong Cup, is still the principal topic in Moss Vale and Bowral, said the "Sydney Morning Herald” in its next issue. The great struggle made by Bronze Fuze showed what a game horse he is, and his progress toward recovery has been followed with sympathetic interest. Mr. H. C. Osborne, owner of Bronze Fuze, lost little time in requisitioning the services of a leading veterinary surgeon from Sydney, who advised the trainer (N. Dewsbury) over the telephone to administer whisky and coffee until Mr. Roy Stewart arrived in Moss Vale at one o’clock in the morning. Mr. Stewart administered an antidote, and at breakfast time it was apparent that Bronze Fuze was much improved, although still weak. Veterinary Surgeon’s Report After a thorough examination, Mr. Stewart made the following report to Mr. Norman Devlin: "I examined the racehorse Bronze Fuze at one o’clock this morning. The symptoms of departure from normal, which he displayed, were, in my opinion, as follow: "Action: When led from his box his gait was uncertain; he brought each leg forward, but at first attempt did not raise it sufficiently from the ground to clear the foot before the stride was completed. A further muscular effort on the part of the horse raised the leg so high that the foot cleared the ground and rose to a height of several inches. The leg became straight, but the foot was so far off the ground that it seemed to fall rather than be placed upon the ground. In other words, one might say he was doing the "goose step.” The attendant had difficulty in guiding and restraining the horse once he was set in motion.

Blinded Eye: The eye was intensely inflamed like raw beef, and the colour of a red cherry. The pupil was s>» dilated

as to occupy completely the whole the transparent portion of the glo£ the eye (i.e., the cornea). The iris J so expanded as to appear as a vp- I narrow ring of brown fringing the eo? of the cornea. The horse could r- $ distinguish objects, and the iris c not react to light. In other worb the horse was apparently temporal blinded. The bowels showed r * movement, and there was an intetj t desire for water. “In my opinion, from the symptom I displayed, this horse was sufferc i from the effect of the administrationc 1a drug of the type of atropin, or fcl derivatives, either alone or combine 5 I treated the horse with the antido? P against atropin poisoning, and the ia If sponse and reaction was rapid.” ] Antidote Relieves Mr. Stewart said the drug woiu. I have the effect of blinding the hori ! and also causing paralysis in the at I dominal muscles. Fortunately, & § antidote he had so promptly admire k tered had had the effect of relaxir. t the pressure on the internal organs c I the horse, and as a result Bronze Fat I was much freer. It was too early u say what the effects of the dm; I would be. It may take months, h 1 said, to remove the effects of ttdrug, which had been stimulated in:: greater activity by the fact that tfc. | horse had exercised freely before bear taken into the enclosure. Mr. J. Gaxieu, who had the mount c l Bronze Fuze, said that the horse wa ; | inclined to stumble throughout tfc 6 race, and "I thought each step wot be his last. I held him together ; ji the best of my ability, but he was ir I dined to run off the course, and Iha to keep a tight rein.” Chauffeur’s Statement There was a sensational develop ment soon after the luncheon adjonrr !’ ment to-day, and officials think tfc F the culprit may be discovered, chauffeur volunteered some inform* 5f tion to Mr. Devlin, which throws hr | on how the dastardly act was p*: f, petrated. The chauffeur is known I Mr. Devlin. He stated that early the day he saw a young man, abc ■ 18 years of age, approach the horand insert a crystal powder into ha. a bucket of water near the stall Th> 1 water was then offered to the hor? ; Mr. Devlin asked the chauffeur if h I could identify the young man. Tfc | steward then lined up three menwhor j he thought knew something of theaf- E fair, but the chauffeur declarsd tlu: I two of the men were too old and : : third was too young. Two other men were paraded fori' | spection, but the chauffeur was * § finite that neither of the men m identical with the person that he w. e [ pected of administering the dope. Mr. Devlin said he was positive tfc | a master hand was directing open tions from behind the scenes. Son I few years ago a man was disqualify ? for ringing in. This man of course never allowed to enter the racecour?- jf but Mr. Devlin is convinced that fc i has a number of confederates whoa? I ever ready to obey his commands.Dm | ing the past year or so there tor | been several instances of doping rtc- I horses, and on each occasion a cerb- | man has been seen in the town durin: | the race meeting. It was impossib jr lie said, to prove anything, but it.f* | surely a strange coincidence that tfc I sinister figure should be in the victor jr : when anything of a questional - nature was attempted. Racecourse-Detective T. Cooper, f Goulburn, said: "I noticed a certa’ | man prior to the racing, and I wanP | owners and trainers to keep a looKtf | Unfortunately they neglected to * ■ so.” The thoroughbred, has made IE ticularly rapid reco very, owing t to his magnificent constitution, 2 the care bestowed on him by the v erinary surgeon and his trainer.