Trot Insider has learned that trainer Geoff Small, who was given a two-year ban for a positive test, won his appeal to have the ban overturned due in large part to

semantics.

That penalty was handed down to Small earlier this year after Changeover – a horse from his stable - tested positive for the anti-bleeding drug tranexamic acid following his win in the Len Smith Mile at Menangle in New South Wales.

That decision was later changed in Small’s favour when his team of experts questioned the interpretation of the words “acting on” in the rules of racing.

"Tranexamic acid is not a prohibited substance in that it is not capable of acting on the cardiovascular or respiratory system," said Racing Appeals Tribunal Judge John McGuire.

Plans are in the works to change the wording in the amended rule, but details in the wording have yet to be finalized.

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