On Monday, the GRB stewards determined a penalty on trainer Carl Perry as a result of the positive sample taken from Geelo Monty at Sheffield on December 11 2018. The substance detected, Salbutamol, is commonly used by asthma patients as a bronchial dilator. The sanction for breach of the rules was a caution for the trainer.
However, given that the race in question was the final of the BGBF British Bred Derby, the winner’s prize of £7,500 was forfeited to runner-up Viking Jerry. Following the case, Carl Perry has asked that the following explanation of events surrounding the incident be published.
Geelo Monty has been a superstar to our kennel, one of the dogs that has put us on the map due to his fantastic achievements. He has become loved not just by our kennel, but by people around the country.
Wherever myself and Nic go the question would be ‘how’s Monty getting on?’
Monty winning the British Bred Derby Final at our home track Sheffield was a night we as a team will never forget.
What happened afterwards, words cannot begin to explain how we have all been feeling. As with all greyhounds running in a category one final, Monty had a routine urine test taken.
I gave the test no further thought. Our dogs have had these tests taken on numerous occasions and knowing that we would never ever give Monty or any of our dogs any substance which could possibly cause either any risk to welfare or indeed something that could be classed as performance enhancing, I simply gave it no further thought.
Then, to my absolute shock and devastation we received word that Monty’s test on final night had produced a positive for salbutamol. Things just didn’t make sense, how had this substance got into Monty’s system and then the worry about what would come next. Myself and Nic pride ourselves on our dogs welfare, their conditioning and how we portray ourselves as a kennel.
We have done so in each of the five years that I have been training greyhounds. I don’t wish for this to be turned into a sob story, I’m not looking for sympathy, but I was left questioning whether I even wanted to continue in the game, questioning how I had allowed this positive test to come about.
I had a good long chat with Nic and Becky, they couldn’t have been anymore supportive, we agreed to stand tall over this, knowing that we hadn’t by any kind of deliberate means given Monty this substance, not for any reason at all and certainly never ever to attempt to gain any kind of unfair advantage.
The GBGB enquiry process seemed to go on for an eternity but it is only right that all the correct procedures are carried out. Public news of the enquiry first broke in the Racing Post last week.
I’m not really sure that this did us any favours, the piece was brief and straight to the point. Monty in positive test enquiry and not a lot else really. Though this piece only appeared a few days prior to the enquiry taking place, this few days is all it takes for the gossip mongers to start their presumptions and downright nasty and presumptive accusations.
By this point I had settled down a bit, I knew myself or my team had done no wrong, but some of the comments I read and heard were upsetting for my wife and family, they’d been so so supportive towards me, to see them hurt by these comments was what then in turn hurt myself.
In some people’s eyes, ‘no smoke without fire’, no ‘innocent until proven guilty’ and certainly not a mere thought that this positive sample could have been for what was without doubt a minute case of cross contamination.
As a matter of course I spoke to Jim Hayton the trainer of Viking Jerry who finished runner up in the race in question.
Jim is a true dog man, a man of great integrity and somebody I and others would do well throughout our careers to model ourselves and our training operations on.
Jim was as supportive as I knew he would be, no delighting in the fact that his dog would be awarded the final at Monty’s expense, Jim was more concerned at the tarnishing of our reputation and most importantly of Monty’s.
I was also contacted by Dean Andrews, a member of the syndicate which owns Viking Jerry, again, a true gent who couldn’t have been more supportive.
People like Jim and Dean have my utmost respect and I can’t thank them enough for understanding the situation and most importantly waiting to hear the full facts of what actually occurred.
They could so easily have jumped to conclusions, they didn’t, they waited with dignity and they are representative of the vast majority of the greyhound racing community.
On the flip side, there were certain other individuals who couldn’t wait to put accusations my way, being tarnished by some people as being a cheat, any trainer will tell you, an accusation like this is the most cutting accusation that can be thrown your way.
I don’t want this to turn into a sob story, under the current rules, I am as trainer am responsible for any positive test at all, no matter how small as in the case of Monty and despite this obviously being a clear case of cross contamination, I and I alone am responsible.
I would though simply ask people in future, please think about what you say, what you write before jumping to definitive conclusions. Things aren’t always what they seem at first glance and your comments can be extremely hurtful to good people.
I would like to draw a line over this story now and hopefully I can continue to reward Nic and his family for the wonderful support which he has provided to myself and my own family.
When I met Nic, I could not have got involved with a better man, he has been great for me, but I also feel he has been great for the sport too. If we had more people like him involved around the country, the sport would be a much brighter place.
Carl Perry
