Steve Pateman

Champion jumps jockey-turned trainer Steven Pateman and his partner Jess Barton face serious sanctions by Racing Victoria after they were found guilty of raceday administration of cobalt by the RAD Board on Monday.

The charge, a breach of AR244, relates to a positive swab returned from a pre-race urine sample taken from the Pateman-trained Sir Walter Scott prior to the horse running in the Great Western Steeplechase at Coleraine in September 2017. 

The horse failed to finish the race after parting company with jockey Rob David. 

The sample returned a cobalt reading of 1200 micrograms per litre of urine – six times above the 200 microgram threshold which was in place at the time.

In the RAD Board hearing, Racing Victoria’s legal counsel cited a phone conversation between steward Dion Villella, Pateman and Barton in which the trainer acknowledged injecting Sir Walter Scott with several cobalt containing substances - namely VAM, Hemoplex and B12 - on the morning of the race.

This was later challenged by the pair, who said the initial statement was taken whilst Pateman was still “pretty drunk” after a night out whilst on holiday in Port Douglas. They later clarified the administration of the treatment did not take place on raceday and produced treatment records to that effect. 

In its summary, the RAD Board concluded the following:

“The bottom line is this.  On 13 October, 2017, Mr Pateman and Ms Barton admitted that injections of substances were given to Sir Walter Scott on the morning of 24 September 2017 – race day.  The substances contained cobalt. 

“The reading obtained from the pre-race swab sample was consistent with such an administration.

“Thereafter, they attempted to undo their admission and move the blame.  First, on 24 October 2017 there was a general denial and lack of co-operation.  Then, at some later stage, there emerged drunkenness, tiredness, disruption of sleep and the like as the explanation for the admission. 

“Next, after a four month delay, there was the belated production of a treatment note amidst some particularly poorly kept records.”

The pair, who will be sentenced at a later date by the RAD Board, could face the minimum three year disqualification under AR244.