Racing: Jockey fails breath test

Jockey Jamie Gillies was stood down from riding at Te Aroha yesterday after failing a pre-race breath test.

All 24 riders competing at the Rotorua-Bay Of Plenty Hunt meeting were breath-tested.

"The matter will be referred to New Zealand Thorougbred Racing and a judicial hearing will result in the near future," racecourse inspector Bryan McKenzie, who conducted the tests, said.

Richard Eynon was injured and taken to hospital after falling from Cross Lease in race 6.

His replacement, Chad Ormsby, won the $12,000 Steeplechase on hot favourite El Patron.

Bryan McKenzie explained why Te Aroha track-work rider Simon Yetton was disqualified for eight months on Friday after failing to provide a sample during random testing.

"The reason for the substantial penalty of disqualification compared with the previous three-month penalties, is that those cases all pre-dated the recent three cases involving riders having been disqualified for nine months for the use of the class A drug methamphetamine.

"It is important in preserving the integrity of the drug-testing regime in racing, to raise the bar involving disqualification for failure to supply to about the level of a rider who is found guilty of the use of `P'.

"If that approach was not adopted, it could lead to a rider knowing they were on `P' avoiding the test if they perceived a lower level of disqualification such as the three months previously given."

El Patron looks to be a star on the rise.

"He's a very, very smart horse," John Wheeler, his trainer, said.

The New Zealand Racing Board plans to launch a new television channel with the title "TAB TV", chief executive officer Andrew Brown said.

TAB TV is expected to generate $4 million in annual profit within three years, which will be distributed among the three racing codes.

The new channel, featuring racing from around the world, will be shown in TAB outlets and will also be broadcast on Sky Digital, from December.

The new channel will complement the existing Trackside channel.

It is intended that Trackside will offer more in-depth coverage of New Zealand racing.

"Trackside will be able to provide more coverage of the build-up to all New Zealand races, highlight the results and prize presentations, and show more replays and analysis.

Trackside will also telecast a selection of high quality Australian racing," Brown said.

TAB TV will broadcast about 12 races per hour, including New Zealand races and overseas races from Australia, France, Hong Kong, North America, Singapore, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

The new channel will require a capital investment of about $800,000.

Jungle Juice, winner of the Bonecrusher Stakes at Ellerslie on Saturday, is among a prospective broodmare band being assembled by Dominic Li, of Hong Kong.

It was the first win for Jungle Juice in five starts.

The filly is trained by Donna and Dean Logan and Chris Gibbs.

Where she will race next has not yet been decided.

"We like to get them home, see how they pull up and then start thinking about what to do with them," Donna Logan said.

Jungle Juice sustained a cut above an eye after the race and Logan said that would "obviously dictate what we do with her".

"Dominic Li is looking at getting a band of mares here in New Zealand to breed from and Jungle Juice will be one of them."

Li has raced several good winners from the Logan stable.

They include Le Baron, winner of the Northern Guineas last year; Railway Handicap runner-up Dashing Donna and open stayer Genuine Offer.

- Additional reporting by NZPA.

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