More information has come to light in regard to the cobalt positives that were announced in Maine late last week. The positives resulted in fines and suspensions for a number of racing participants.

News of the positives and rulings were first reported late last week. The horsepeople that were handed fines and suspensions are Steven Vafiades, Randy Bickmore, Patricia Switzer, Stephen Murchison, Drew Campbell, Allison MacDonald, Frank Hiscock

“It definitely is designed as a message,” Maine Harness Racing Commission Chairman Bill Varney has said about the fines and suspension. “The commission in the last year or so has stepped up the penalties. The new penalties are more severe than they have been in the past and they’re testing for more things.”

Another article on the situation has quoted Varney as saying that “the suspensions are based on how many times that they tested positive.” He also said that some of the horsepeople are appealing the rulings.

Varney also stated that Maine’s harness racing commission just started testing for cobalt in 2015, and that “we have not had a single case of cobalt in 2016 thus far.” He also added that “the word is out that we are testing, and it is working.”

He explained that the cobalt violations date back to April of 2015 and that all of the samples were taken from horses that were racing at Scarborough Downs.

“By the time the tests started coming back, some of [the trainers] had three or four or five positives before they were notified about the first one,” Varney was quoted as saying.

(With files from WCSH6 and the Bangor Daily News)