Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) stewards have this week conducted state-wide out of competition testing of greyhounds in the lead-up to the semi finals of the Group 1 Macro Meats Golden Easter Egg, the Group 3 Macro Meats New Sensation and the Group 3 Sportingbet Magic Maiden.
Testing was conducted to find the presence of any permanently banned prohibited substances, including Erythropoitin (EPO) and its derivatives.
More than 70 samples were taken from greyhounds in kennels from the Central West, Hunter, Southern Highlands and the Metropolitan NSW regions. Interstate greyhounds currently based in NSW were also the subject of out of competition testing.
The out of competition testing forms an integral component of GRNSW’s ongoing prohibited substance detection strategy, confirming its stance against illicit substance use.
Out of competition testing is conducted under the provisions of National Rule R79A which provides specifically for out of competition sampling.
At a minimum, all greyhounds that qualify for the finals of the Golden Easter Egg and the Association Cup will also be swabbed following their races on Saturday night, in accordance with GRNSW’s swabbing policy.
In addition, the trainers of Evil Punk, Fort Allen and Lach’s Wish, which were involved in the Golden Easter Egg heat that was declared a no race due to a lure malfunction, have been directed by GRNSW stewards to present their greyhounds for a veterinary inspection prior to Saturday’s semi finals.