Australia's doping scandal has deepened with news two more leading trainers have had horses test positive for the outlawed blood doping drug cobalt chloride.
Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Mark Kavanagh and fellow Flemington handler Danny O'Brien, who has had three horses test positive, will have to face the Victoria Racing stewards after the findings.
Australian racing was left in shock on Tuesday after Peter Moody, who trained the legendary sprint mare Black Caviar, had Lidari return a positive swab over the specified threshold for cobalt chloride. Moody has protested his innocence.
The latest news emerged after Kavanagh's and O'Brien's stables were given thorough inspections.
Kavanagh released a statement saying Racing Victoria had informed him that one of his runners, Magicool, had tested positive to a banned substance (cobalt) on 4 October last year.
"This has come as a complete shock to me as I have always placed great emphasis on integrity and operating within the rules of racing," Kavanagh said.
"We are, unfortunately, not the only stable in this situation.
"I am cooperating fully with the Racing Victoria Integrity Services Department to investigate how this could occur, and hopefully we will resolve the matter as soon as possible."
Victoria racing is now having to come to terms with three of its top 10 trainers looking at a possible three-year disqualification if found guilty.
Kavanagh's positive sample was returned from Magicool after he won the Listed UCI Stakes at Flemington, the same day Moody's Lidari returned a positive test after running second in the Group One Turnbull Stakes.
O'Brien had three horses which returned positive raceday samples, including Bondeiger and the Qatar Racing-owned Caravan Rolls On, who used to be trained in Newmarket by Peter Chapple-Hyam.
O'Brien's other horse in question is De Little Engine, who was tested after winning at Ballarat on 22 November.
O'Brien told racing.com: "Obviously we were disappointed and very surprised.
"Three of our runners have got levels elevated above the threshold for cobalt when they've been at the races.
"We are trying to ascertain how this has occurred. It couldn't have occurred through our normal feeding and treatment practices.
"We are forensically examining everything and we are trying with the help of the stewards trying to place these readings in the context of how they have got as high as they have.
"Obviously there is a cluster and something may come to light to explain it.
"It is a dynamic area. The threshold is new and it is a scenario that maybe some of the practices we are doing are not consistent with good maintenance going forward.
"We are examining everything and we are hoping to get a resolution as quickly as possible to explain it and put it into context."
Racing Victoria chief steward Terry Baily said in a statement: "Following receipt of RASL's (Racing Analytical Services Limited) report we are conducting investigations into the circumstances that led to the elevated levels of cobalt being detected in race-day samples taken from horses from the Moody, Kavanagh and O'Brien stables.
"It is now our priority to gather all the facts to determine the circumstances surrounding each case.
"We will not be putting a timeline on the completion of this process and will not be commenting on the specifics of each case whilst our investigations continue.
"Our investigations will determine whether any or all of the trainers will be charged with a breach of the rules of racing.
"They have the presumption of innocence and are free to continue racing at this time."
