Meth Positive

[BitofaLegend]

See 3 people charged over 2 dogs proving positives to meth.

Never ends it seems

[Chief Stipe]

Environmental contamination.  Fact of life unfortunately.  A lot will depend on the levels detected.  

 

[BitofaLegend]

My understanding is one of them was Ethan Toomer whose father had a positive to meth a year ago and the other is Lisa Warentine.

This is what I heard at the track last week anyway. No official confirmation yet 

Edited June 23, 2022 by BitofaLegend

[Taupiri Wonder]

Hmmmn..I had wondered why promising THRILLING STELLA,The First Winner Owned & Trained by Ethan Toomer had changed to Phil Green during last month.

And for good measure,Won at both Manukau & Cambridge this week.

[Guest CrossCodes]

What is happening with the Waretini meth positive? Have not read a decision on it, it’s been well over 6-7 months now. 

[Guest CrossCodes]

And yet still no word about this positive which everyone knew about at the time, and the trainer in question has hardly been sighted at the track since, at least on raceway anyway.

Ate they just ignoring positives now?

Edited January 12, 2023 by CrossCodes

[Yankiwi]

Seven months have passes since these announcements of charges being laid.

Why has it taken 7+ months for these two, yet the Toomer case took only about a month?

https://racingintegrityboard.org.nz/charges-laid/

 

As for ignoring positives, it also seems that the cobalt swab returned which was over the threshold & the "B" sample which was sent off to Aussie for testing that had also returned a reading higher than the threshold has disappeared into nothingness.

As part of the aftermath of that initial investigation, why hasn't this decision been made public yet? Afterall, the swab was the reason for the "routine investigation" for the "unrelated matter" they refer to.

 

 

It'll all be part of a devious underhanded plan to coverup inconvenient evidence for a protected participant. The RIB/RIU & GRNZ have a history of this sort of behavior.

[aquaman]

Must say is that all Ron O'Regan is guilty of, a dead frozen hare or rabbit in his freezer. What a fooken joke. Utter bullshit and crap. What have they become when they the RIU and NZGRA have pathetic rules such as this.

[Honestjohn]

The dogs will be gone soon,  so problem solved.  You guys are ruining it for the industry.  The cheats that is. 

 

Hj

[aquaman]

14 minutes ago, Honestjohn said:

The dogs will be gone soon,  so problem solved.  You guys are ruining it for the industry.  The cheats that is. 

I don't believe the dogs are going to be gone anytime soon, they will be around for the foreseeable future, but keeping a dead rabbit, hare, possum, in your freezer, so what. The pet factory where you get the food to feed the Greyhounds, wallaby, rabbit, hare, venison, chicken, mutton, beef, all on the menu, at least where I was going. Bit of an overreach going for a trainer for the dastardly offense of having a dead rabbit in the freezer, and I do not think the industry will sink or swim because Ronnies got a frozen one in the chiller.

Hj

 

[Yankiwi]

At the end of the day, he had a dead rabbit in his freezer. While that suggests something suspicious might have been intended for it, it doesn't prove anything was going to be done with it. However, a rule was written against having it & everyone knows about it. He got caught & was fined $10k for it. Justice (on that front) has been served.

What I do have a problem with is that the rabbit was found in the freezer because the RIB turned up unannounced to inform them of the positive swab for Cobalt.

Sounds to me a deal was done where if he agreed to plead guilty to dead baiting, the positive swab would simply be swept under the carpet.

So, no penalty to for the trainer for most probably injecting too much vitamin B12 in the dog. No disqualification of the dog means that any purse won will be kept. No justice for any dogs placed behind the doped dog, which obviously had an illegal unfair advantage, whether it had a chomp at some point on a dead rabbit or not.

Even in those few Cambridge instances for positive Morphine swabs a few years ago, which came from poppy seeds in the professionally manufactured dog kibble, at least the dogs were disqualified, and the placings were amended.

The same sort of thing slipped through with Fredrickson case in the CD, where the blame for MDMA was placed on the swabbing steward. The dog was never disqualified so there was no justice for dogs placed behind it.

Both Fredrickson & O'Regan returned positive swabs after a race so a DQ for the dog at a minimum is a must.

[Yankiwi]

On 13/01/2023 at 3:20 PM, Yankiwi said:

Both Fredrickson & O'Regan returned positive swabs after a race so a DQ for the dog at a minimum is a must.

Another positive published today, which doesn't sound dodgy.

In this case the dog was disqualified. Why not the two I've brought up earlier?

https://racingintegrityboard.org.nz/decisions/non-raceday-request-for-a-ruling-written-decision-dated-26-january-2023-teeing-off/

[Yankiwi]

On 15/12/2022 at 1:33 PM, CrossCodes said:

What is happening with the Waretini meth positive? Have not read a decision on it, it’s been well over 6-7 months now. 

https://racingintegrityboard.org.nz/decisions/non-raceday-inquiry-written-reserved-decision-dated-23-february-2023-lisa-waretini/

[Yankiwi]

I suppose looking at a 18-month DQ isn't enough for young Ms Waretini.

Seems she got in some sort of argument during a swabbing from the first race.

Picked up another trainer's dog in the catching area & threw it backwards.

Also possibly assaulted Mr. Grant after the race meeting.

The GRNZ board needs to hold a meeting immediately and stand down this person, even before her penalty for the Meth charge is announced. Her actions today, especially in race 12, were atrocious.

1). An investigation was opened and adjourned into the manner in which Handler Miss A Waretini conducted herself when in the process of swabbing the greyhound LITTLE HERO, and the manner in which she conducted herself when catching her greyhound in race 12. A further Investigation was open and adjourned in regards to an incident between Ms Waretini and Trainer Mr M Grant following race 12.

Have a look at the catching area of the replay and you'll see what I mean.

 

[Taupiri Wonder]

Bloody Hell.

Some people seem hellbent on portraying the sport they supposedly love,in the worst possible light.

Seems more than the winner of Race 1 needed swabbing!!!

Did Ms Waretini end her two and a half year spell of 'being clean' perhaps!

Regardless,such behaviour totally unwarranted.

Will Mark Lin send Little Hero (and any others in this kennel) North to help boost our numbers I wonder!

[aquaman]

Don't see to much wrong at the catch, its always a bit of a scrum, and sometimes you have a fighter thats intent on biting other dogs rather than the bunny. Its not a place for weak people by its very nature. Only NZ has this problem because they do not have a catching pen which avoids these problems.

I think the sentence of 15mths for Lisa is a crock, as I also thought the same for Angela Turnwald who got about 18mths for the same thing. Two months would be more like it for me. These cases of accidental contamination are not serious in my mind. What is serious for me is the deliberate drugging of dogs or horse's for financial gain. But then thats my opinion.

[aquaman]

How poetic that Lisa Waretini should win the very last race that she was eligible to enter before her license expired with a 21/1 shot. Well done.

[Yankiwi]

On 28/02/2023 at 7:46 PM, Taupiri Wonder said:

Bloody Hell.

Some people seem hellbent on portraying the sport they supposedly love,in the worst possible light.

Seems more than the winner of Race 1 needed swabbing!!!

Did Ms Waretini end her two and a half year spell of 'being clean' perhaps!

Regardless,such behaviour totally unwarranted.

Will Mark Lin send Little Hero (and any others in this kennel) North to help boost our numbers I wonder!

Plead guilty in the end.

Lawyer must be loving it. What a waste of $.

Penalty reserved for a couple of weeks.

https://racingintegrityboard.org.nz/decisions/non-raceday-inquiry-written-reserved-decision-dated-10-march-2023-alysha-waretini/

[Yankiwi]

You just can't make this shit up.

Young Miss Waretini penalty decision has been posted BUT WAIT FOR THE TWIST.

She received a 15 month disqualification plus is required to pay (roughly half) the costs to the total of $7090.00.

https://racingintegrityboard.org.nz/decisions/non-raceday-inquiry-penalty-and-costs-decision-dated-19-april-2023-alysha-waretini/

Now here's the twist ~

GRNZ has very recently chose to add the Waretini property under the Great Mates umbrella.

So the property with 60ish kennels will be housing greyhounds somewhere in the adoption process, collecting money from GRNZ for doing so, on the property of two disqualified people from the sport.

Welfare is paramount, Meth is optional.

[Chief Stipe]

2 hours ago, Yankiwi said:

GRNZ has very recently chose to add the Waretini property under the Great Mates umbrella.

Do you have proof supporting this accusation?

[Yankiwi]

18 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

Do you have proof supporting this accusation?

Ring Rennell.

I'm told GRNZ headquarters phones have been ringing off the hook today. Rennell started the day claiming it was a rumour. As the day continued, I think you'll find his understanding has changed.

I've also been told of 3 trainers that have already taken multiple retiring/retired greyhounds to the property.

I suspect either the GRNZ board pushed something through on the quiet, or the ex-shot-putter has done something underhanded (she's still been hanging around quite a lot) and never informed Rennell.

 

Now a question for you Chief. What was the last accusation I had claimed on BOAY that ended up being false?

[Chief Stipe]

3 hours ago, Yankiwi said:

Ring Rennell.

I'm told GRNZ headquarters phones have been ringing off the hook today. Rennell started the day claiming it was a rumour. As the day continued, I think you'll find his understanding has changed.

I've also been told of 3 trainers that have already taken multiple retiring/retired greyhounds to the property.

I suspect either the GRNZ board pushed something through on the quiet, or the ex-shot-putter has done something underhanded (she's still been hanging around quite a lot) and never informed Rennell.

 

Now a question for you Chief. What was the last accusation I had claimed on BOAY that ended up being false?

I just asked for proof that your accusation was correct.  Do you have any?

[Yes Yes No]

As Lisa is no longer a licensed person then it’s nobody’s business but hers what she is doing.

[Overit]

51 minutes ago, Yes Yes No said:

As Lisa is no longer a licensed person then it’s nobody’s business but hers what she is 

Hi merv or ali

She may be "unlicensed" but that is because she has been disqualified. There are rules to follow when disqualification takes place. Those particular rules are being stretched to breaking point by entertaining the thought of paying somebody to have greyhounds on the property of a DISQUALIFIED person. Minimising the facts does not always make for a good story.  The fact the drugs, and the connection to people who use them were the catalyst for this disqualification is the major cause for concern in it being the use for a "rehoming" agency. Sure you would feel different and be first person  to complain if on McInerney property 

[Yankiwi]

1 hour ago, Yes Yes No said:

As Lisa is no longer a licensed person then it’s nobody’s business but hers what she is doing.

Fair point, kind of.

I'm not making a point or statement directed towards either of the Waretini's.

I'm casting my judgement completely on GRNZ. Be it the board or management that came to this decision, it simply shows that welfare is not a top priority or paramount. GRNZ is an enabler by opening up the pathway to allowing former industry animals to go to a property where two disqualified people are at a minimum, in direct contact with others that are within the Meth circles.

Since the disqualification, the RIB is powerless to enter the property without permission & those living there are no longer bound by GRNZ rules.

So who is going to oversee & verify the welfare of the animals is being upheld during the recovery/rehoming process? The same person who handed down the decision to enable it? Is the SPCA going to do regular checks, including drug testing of the dogs, while the animals are in their care?