Leading Victorian trainer Patrick Payne is under investigation after his horse, Hard To Cross, returned two positive swabs for the banned substance Formestane following wins at Sandown in May.
Racing Victoria stewards confirmed that post-race urine samples contained Formestane, a steroidal aromatase inhibitor, along with its metabolites 4-Hydroxytestosterone and 6a-Hydroxyandrost-4-Ene3, 17-Dione.
Both Racing Analytical Services Limited and the Australian Racing Forensic Laboratory verified the findings.
As a result, Hard To Cross has been banned from racing for 12 months under Australian Rule of Racing 248(4).
The horse is ineligible for races, trials, or jumpouts until May 2025.
Payne, expressing shock, suspects contamination but remains uncertain of its source.
“It’s a bit of a shock. We are anti-drugs in racing,” he said.
Racing Victoria continues its investigation, reviewing Payne’s stable practices and interviewing staff.
Payne pledged full cooperation, saying, “RV have been very good about it. We will work very closely with them to try and work out where the contamination has come from.”
