Baronova disqualified after arsenic detected in post-race urine sample at Albany’s Jericho Cup qualifying race

Trainer Grant Williams has been fined $2000 and his horse Baronova disqualified from her win in Albany’s Jericho Cup qualifier earlier this year. Baronova claimed a narrow victory over Picture Perfect in the $100,000 Furphy The Road To Jericho WA Qualifier (3100m) run at Percy Spencer Racecourse on April 24. The race guarantees the winner a start in the historic Jericho Cup at Warrnambool in November. Racing and Wagering WA stewards announced on June 9 that Williams had been fined for presenting Baronova to race at Albany in April with the prohibited substance arsenic in her system. An inquiry revealed Baronova chewing treated pine posts at Williams’ stable was to blame for an illegal level of arsenic being detected in her post-race urine sample. Williams pleaded guilty to the charge and stewards determined the appropriate penalty for the offence was a $2000 fine. Under Australian Racing rules Baronova was disqualified from the race and placings were amended accordingly. When considering the penalty, stewards took into account Williams’ lengthy participation in the harness and thoroughbred industry during which he had maintained an unblemished record in relation to prohibited substances, his guilty plea, and the presence of arsenic in the urine sample was due to treated pine posts and railings in the yard where the mare was stabled. The stewards report also said Williams had taken precautions to prevent the ingestion of arsenic by Baronova by covering the pine posts with plastic and there were no products at his training establishment containing arsenic. Picture Perfect, trained by Hayden Ballantyne, has been promoted to first place. Albany trainer Steve Wolfe had three trial winners at Lark Hill on Monday. Unraced two-year-old Warralea Diamond won heat six over 930m for jockey Natasha Faithfull. Talented two-year-old Hang Glider was a dominant two-length winner in heat eight for Faithfull, and rising middle-distance galloper Mr Mt Walker won heat 10 in solid time.