Royal Calcutta Turf Club
(A unit of RCTC Association)

LATEST ORDER OF THE STEWARDS

 

ORDER OF THE STEWARDS

 

The Stewards of the Royal Calcutta Turf Club assembled on Wednesday, 23^rd April, 2025 in the Stewards Enquiry Room, Reserve Stand, Calcutta Race Course to enquire into the positive finding of “CAPSAICIN”, which is a Class II prohibited substance,  in the  urine sample taken on 12^th December, 2024 from ch m FIERY RED trained by Mr. Adhirajsingh Jodha and owned by Mrs. Ritu Puri and Mr. Marthand Singh Mahindra, following its win in The Ardelis Handicap Div II run on 12^th December, 2024.

The Stewards noted the following :-

1. That the Trainer was given 3 days time to opt for a confirmatory analysis of ‘B’ sample.  The Trainer opted for the confirmatory analysis of B sample to be done from Laboratoire des Courses Hippiques, France.  Accordingly, the B sample was sent to France Laborary for confirmatory analysis and the Lab confirmed the presence of CAPSAICIN in the urine sample.

 

2. That ch m FIERY RED had been disqualified from the race as per Rule 9 of the Rules of Medication and Judges placings revised accordingly on 11^th March, 2025.

 

3. That on receipt of the confirmatory analysis report, the Stipendiary Stewards sent a questionnaire on 12.3.2025  to Tr. Adhirajsingh Jodha seeking his explanations as to how his charge had tested positive for a class II prohibited substance and how did he keep unauthorized substances in his stable.

 

4. That on receipt of the reply to the questionnaire from the trainer vide his email dated 14^th March, 2025, the Stipendiary Stewards not being satisfied with his explanations issued a Charge Sheet to Tr. Adhirajsingh Jodha on 16th March, 2025.

 

5. That the Trainer failed to produce any evidence to substantiate as to how his charge ch m FIERY RED  tested positive for the prohibited substance. 

 

6. That vide his mail dated 30^th March, 2025, Mr. Adhirajsingh Jodha had accepted his vicarious liability for lapse of good stable management on his part.

 

7. That this is the first confirmed case for infringement of the Rules of Medication and Treatment of Horses in Training & Racing & Anti Doping Control by Trainer Mr. Adhirajsingh Jodha in the last five years.

 

After due deliberations, the Stewards found Mr. Adhirajsingh Jodha guilty in breach of Rule 114 (b) (i) of the RCTC Rules of Racing  and Rule 10 of the Rules of Medication and Treatment of Horses in Training & Racing & Anti Doping Control and therefore, decided to suspend Trainer Mr. Adhirajsingh Jodha with effect from Tuesday, 29^th July, 2025 upto and including 26^th September, 2025 and fine him a sum of Rs. 30,000/- for detection of CAPSAICIN, a Class II prohibited substance.

The Stewards further noted that :-

 

1. Immediately on receipt of the positive finding report from QuantiLab, Mauritius for CAPSAICIN in the urine sample of his charge ch m FIERY RED on 21^st January, 2025, an inspection of Tr. Adhirajsingh Jodha’s stable was carried out by the Stipendiary Stewards and the Veterinary Officers.

 

2. During the inspection the following prohibited medicines and homeopathic medicines were confiscated from the stable:-

 

1. Famocid 40 – (840 tablets) – Active ingredient is Famotidine – A Class 5 prohibited substance.

 

2. Bonolep – An Ayurvedic Anti-inflammatory and pain killer (23 packets).

 

3. Micovet – Medicated shampoo.

 

3. Vide his email dated 14-03-2025 the Trainer has accepted possession of the medicines mentioned in Ser (b) (i) to (iii) above and the circumstances of their use in horses under his charge.

 

4. The Stipendiary Stewards not being satisfied with the replies given by Tr. Adhirajsingh Jodha for the above, issued a charge sheet to him on 16^th March, 2025 for violation of the RCTC Medication Rules and the RCTC Rules of Racing.

 

5. The Trainer had failed to produce any correspondence/prescription under which the above confiscated medications were prescribed for treatment.

 

6. The Trainer had failed to produce the Log Book duly logging in such medication thereby contravening the RCTC Medication Rules.

The Stewards not being satisfied with the Trainer’s explanations, were of the opinion that Mr. Adhirajsingh Jodha be held responsible for possession of prohibited substances in his stable and found him guilty under Rule 114(b) and (b)(i), Rule 202, 202(x)(a), (x)(a)(i), 202(xiii) of the RCTC Rules of Racing, Rule 13, 13(d), 13(f), 19, 20, 23(a), 23(b), 23 (c), 25(1), 26(1), 26 (1)(b) of the RCTC Rules of Medication and Treatment of Horses in Training & Racing & Anti Doping Control and in contravention of the RCTC Notice dated 23/03/2022 issued by GM – Veterinary Services, RCTC.

The Stewards, therefore, decided to fine Tr. Adhirajsingh Jodha a sum of Rs. 15,000/- for his negligence in discharge of his duties as a licensed trainer under the RCTC Rules of Racing whereby the RCTC Rules of Racing and the RCTC Medication Rules were breached.

 Trainer Mr. Adhirajsingh Jodha has the right to appeal.

 

For Board of Stewards.

 

Amit Chaturvedi

Vice President - Racing

Dated : 23^rd April, 2025

 

ORDER OF THE STEWARDS

The Stewards of the Royal Calcutta Turf Club assembled on Thursday, 26^th September, 2024 in the Stewards Enquiry Room, Reserve Stand, Calcutta Race Course to enquire into the positive finding of “Etodolac and Flunixin”, which are prohibited substances,  in the  urine sample taken on 20^th August, 2024 from b g LEATHER BACK trained by Mr. Neil Darashah and owned by Mr. C V Prasad Rao, following its win in Race No. 25 – The Mariinsky Handicap held on 20^th August, 2024.

The Stewards perused Mr. Neil Darashah’s email dated 23^rd September, 2024, proceedings of the internal enquiries conducted by the Stipendiary Stewards with the Trainer’s Jemadars, Syce of LEATHER BACK and with Trainer Neil Darashah.

 The Stewards also noted that the Stipendiary Stewards had charged Tr. Neil Darashah under “Rule 114(b)(i) – If his conduct or negligence or neglect in the performance of his duties as a licenced professional has led or could have led to a breach of the Rules of Racing” – for breach of Rule No. 10 of the Rules of Medication and Treatment of Horses in Training & Racing & Anti Doping Control  in that b g LEATHER BACK under his charge had tested positive for prohibited substances as stated above.

The Stewards noted the following :-

1. That the Trainer opted not to send ‘B’ sample for confirmatory analysis consequent to which LEATHER BACK was disqualified by the Stewards on 18^th September, 2024.

2. That the Trainer failed to produce any evidence to substantiate his doubt that there may have been cross contamination in his stable from CLIFFORD leading to his charge b g LEATHER BACK testing positive for the prohibited substances. 

3. That vide his mail dated 23^rd  September, 2024, Mr. Darashah had accepted his vicarious responsibility for lapse of good stable management on his part.

4. That the Trainer vide the above mail informed that he did not want to further enquire into the matter and requested for an early hearing of the case by the Stewards.

 

5. That this is the first confirmed case for infringement of the Rules of Medication and Treatment of Horses in Training & Racing & Anti Doping Control by Trainer Mr. Neil Darashah in the last five years.

After due deliberations, the Stewards found Mr. Neil Darashah in breach of Rule 114 (b) (i) of the RCTC Rules of Racing  and Rule 10 of the Rules of Medication and Treatment of Horses in Training & Racing & Anti Doping Control and therefore, decided to :-

1. Suspend Trainer Mr. Neil Darashah with effect from 27^th September, 2024 up to and including 6^th October, 2024 (10 days) and from 1^st November, 2024 up to and including 20^th November, 2024 (20 days) and fine him a sum of Rs. 30,000/- for detection of Etodolac (Class III); and

2. Further fine him a sum of Rs. 40,000/- for detection of Flunixin (Class IV) in the urine sample of his charge b g LEATHER BACK.

Trainer Mr. Neil Darashah has the right to appeal.

 

_____________________                                                                  ____________________

Mr. Enrico Piperno                                                                             Mr. H P Ramchandani

Steward                                                                                               Steward

 

______________________

Mr. Anand Chopra

Steward

Dated : 26^th September, 2024

ORDER OF THE STEWARDS

 

The Stewards, Royal Calcutta Turf Club, assembled on Tuesday, 3^rd September, 2024 in the Stewards Enquiry Room, Reserve Stand, Calcutta Race Course to hold an enquiry into the fall of Jockey Sujit Kr. Paswan from his mount DUBAI KING soon after the start of the 1^st Race (90) – The Goolagong Handicap run on Thursday, 1^st February, 2024.

 

The Stewards noted the following :-

 

1. Evidence tendered by Tr. Shafiq Khan wherein the Trainer immediately after the running of the above race and in subsequent enquiries stated that he was of the confirmed opinion that the fall of Jockey Sujit Kr. Paswan was intentional and that he “jumped off from his mount”.

 

2. Evidence tendered by Jockey P Tejeshwar.

 

3. Evidences tendered by the Jemadar and work rider of Tr. Shafiq Khan.

 

4. The drifting of the ‘Odds’ of DUBAI KING which had opened as the firm favourite.

 

5. That Jockey Sujit Kr. Paswan (drawn 1) had asked Jockey P Tejeshwar (drawn 2) “to keep his mount (VALNERINA) straight and not to come in after the start”.

 

6. That Jockey Sujit Kr Paswan did not ask for a handler inside the gates in spite of his mount standing with its head turned right.

 

7. That Jockey Sujit Kr. Paswan, submitted that his mount was not fractious enough in the gates to ask for a handler and he was fully prepared for the start thereby being inexplicable in the justifiable reason for his fall.

 

The Stewards after repeatedly viewing the CCTV replay of the race, taking into consideration the evidence tendered by the Stipendiary Stewards and taking into account the circumstantial evidences, found Jockey Sujit Kr Paswan guilty of “dishonest, improper practice and dishonourable action” (Rule 202(i) of RCTC Rules of Racing) in that he deliberately allowed himself to be ‘dislodged’ from his mount DUBAI KING without making any visible efforts to recover his balance and remain on his mount and decided to withdraw the license granted to Jockey Sujit Kr. Paswan with effect from 13^th September, 2024 till the conclusion of the racing Season 2024-2025 i.e., up to 30^th April, 2025 and to treat Jockey Sujit Kr. Paswan as a disqualified person up to and including 13^th September, 2027.

 

Jockey Sujit Kr Paswan is not permitted to ride work during the above period.

 

Jockey Sujit Kr Paswan was informed of his right to appeal.

 

 

By order of the Stewards

 

 

 

Amit Chaturvedi

Vice President – Racing

Royal Calcutta Turf Club

 

03/09/2024