RACING New South Wales Chief Steward, Ray Murrihy, was back to his grand-standing best stealing a controversial headline on the eve of the Golden Slipper by taking a blow-torch to top jockey Stathi Katsidis who will ride the favorite, Military Rose.
Ray Thomas reports in today’s Sydney Telegraph that Katsidis has escaped the wrath of stewards for comments he made about the use of illicit drugs in sport.
We reproduce his report, courtesy of News Ltd, which follows:
‘Katsidis was quoted in a Sydney newspaper yesterday claiming "about half" of jockeys and NRL players take the party drug ecstasy."It goes on - footy players and jockeys (take it)," Katsidis said. "Well probably about half of them might do it."
In light of those comments, Racing New South Wales chief steward Ray Murrihy interviewed Katsidis yesterday where the jockey "cleared the air".
Katsidis told Murrihy the remark attributed to him that "about half" of jockeys and footy players take ecstasy was a "throw-away line".
"We certainly had a full and frank discussion about this," Murrihy said.
"To Stathi's credit, he was up front with me and stressed he didn't want it to reflect poorly on his profession.
"Stathi also said he certainly wasn't in a position to name any jockeys or if he had knowledge of any jockeys using illicit drugs."
Katsidis received a nine-month ban from Queensland stewards after testing positive to ecstasy back in 2008.
He made his comeback to the saddle last June and has been in career-best form since.
Katsidis said he had been "talking in past tense" when he made the comments about ecstasy use. "Jockeys are being drug-tested all the time these days," Katsidis added.
"I've been tested almost every week since I've been in Sydney for the autumn carnival. If anyone takes drugs they are going to get caught."
Murrihy confirmed stewards have increased their drug-testing procedures during the Sydney autumn carnival and revealed Katsidis had already been tested twice.
"We have drug-tested virtually every jockey who has ridden in Sydney over the carnival," Murrihy said. "So far, there has been no positive results from those tests."
Murrihy said stewards were testing for a range of prohibited substances including speed, cannabis and ecstasy.
"Racing is a very dangerous game and we don't want any loose cannons out there taking illicit drugs," Murrihy said.
"There is no doubt illicit drugs - I don't call them recreational or party drugs - is a problem in society."
Stewards have also regularly conducted random drug tests in dawn raids at Monday morning trackwork in Sydney.
