Horse banned from Cup week after trainer's own drug test found formestane
Up to 50 owners lost Cup week entries when Major Share tested positive to formestane, baffling racing for almost four years.
Major Share was set to run at Flemington on Oaks Day, and trainer Adam Chambers arranged a voluntary test to clear the horse for racing. The swab came back positive for formestane, a substance some countries use to treat breast cancer but which is not available in Australia.
Major Share has tested positive a second time in 12 months. Racing Victoria bans formestane-positive horses for 12 months if tested at a race meeting, trial or jumpout.
Because Chambers took the sample outside those settings, the ban does not apply. However, the horse cannot run during Melbourne Cup week.
The mystery is whether formestane occurs naturally in horses or is a performance drug. UK research suggests it is natural, but findings are not yet peer-reviewed.
13 Victorian stables have had horses disqualified since February 2023, all protesting innocence.
- Major Share, six-year-old gelding
- Horse
- 2 in 12 months
- Positive tests
- up to 50
- Affected owners
- 13 since February 2023
- Victorian stables disqualified
Why it mattersOwners cannot understand why their horse is banned for a substance it may produce naturally, while the rule prevents fair racing and the science remains unresolved.
