Crown's Master returns same drug as Aussie champ Takeover Target before HK Sprint
Crown's Master, the Macau-trained hero of both this season's interport friendship races, has returned a positive test after the Hong Kong leg nine days ago.
A post-race blood sample taken from Crown's Master was found to contain the banned 17-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone hexanoate - the same substance that forced the withdrawal of Australia's champion sprinter, Takeover Target, from the HK$12 million Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint in December.
Joe Lau, the trainer of Crown's Master, was yesterday advised of the analyst's finding and he requested the B sample be forwarded to an outside laboratory for independent analysis. Lau, who has won four of the eight races staged since the Hong Kong-Macau interport features were introduced in 2004, last night said he was shocked at the finding.
'Crown's Master was treated with this substance by the veterinary department here at the Macau Jockey Club around two months ago,' Lau said. 'They told me it would assist his recovery, and it would fully clear the system in two weeks.
'As you can imagine, this is very upsetting. I have done everything right, taken the best professional advice and the Hong Kong race was run two months after the vet treated the horse, and that is three times longer than the recommended withholding period.'
Crown's Master also won the Macau leg of the series on April 1, subsequent to the treatment in question, but the Macau Jockey Club did not notify any irregularities from the gelding's post-race swab samples.