QRIC stewards have noted there has been an increase in the number of breaches involving prohibited substances and permanently banned prohibited substances in recent months.

The most common breach of the Greyhounds Australasia Rules involving prohibited substances is that of Rule 83(2)(a), which provides:

The owner, trainer or person in charge of a greyhound nominated to compete in an Event shall present the greyhound free of any prohibited substance.

QRIC Chief Steward Wade Hadley said the underlying principle is that we should have ‘drug-free racing’ so that punters can be confident that greyhounds run on their merits, and the greyhound’s performance is not influenced in any way by any sort of drug or other substance.

“This means that when they are presented to race, greyhounds must not have anything falling within the definition of prohibited substances in their system,” he said.

“A prohibited substance, as defined in the Greyhounds Australasia Rules, includes any substance capable of having an effect on a greyhound’s body system.

“The definition of a prohibited substance may appear difficult to understand and Controlling Bodies do not expect participants to know every one of the thousands of substances that are prohibited.

“However, participants are required to have knowledge of every substance that they intend to administer to their greyhound before they administer it (or arrange for someone else to administer it).

“If participants are uncertain as to what constitutes a prohibited substance, they are encouraged to contact their Controlling Body or their veterinarian prior to administering the intended substance to their greyhound.”

Mr Hadley said permanently banned prohibited substances, as defined in Greyhounds Australasia Rule 79A, are considered so concerning from a welfare or integrity point of view that they are deemed by experts to have no place in the sport at all.

“Permanently banned prohibited substances should never be in a greyhound’s system (whether on race day or out-of-competition) and as these substances are so concerning for the integrity of the sport, participants are also not permitted to possess, acquire, attempt to acquire, administer or attempt to administer any permanently banned prohibited substances at any time,” he said.

Compliance with the Greyhounds Australasia Rules is enforced by state Controlling Bodies through all available means including regular kennel inspections, inspections of medications and treatment records, working with other regulatory bodies, and regular out of competition testing, as well as through routine race day sampling.

Controlling Bodies may conduct out of competition testing on any greyhound at any time, regardless of whether it is named, nominated or not and may take samples of any type listed within Greyhounds Australasia Rule 80.

As per Greyhounds Australasia Rule 79A (3) any greyhound that tests positive to any permanently banned prohibited substance shall be withdrawn from any event in which it is nominated to compete and will be ineligible to be nominated for any further event until a sample is subsequently taken that does not contain any of the substances specified in Greyhounds Australasia Rule 79A (2).