Separate Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) investigations have been launched into a trainer who injected two horses with a banned substance, as well as a greyhound that won a premier race on methamphetamine.
On Friday an MPI spokeswoman confirmed to Stuff investigations were under way into two high-profile drugging cases.
One is in relation to disgraced harness racing trainer Jesse Alford, recently banned for seven years after he was caught in a covert sting operation injecting two horses with a prohibited substance on race day.
The other involves Foxton greyhound trainer Angela Turnwald, who was fined $3500 and disqualified for four months after her dog Zipping Sarah tested positive for methamphetamine after a race on November 12 in Christchurch. It was the third doping case in the greyhound racing industry in six months.
Alford’s charges come after animal rights advocacy group SAFE called for MPI to pursue criminal charges under the Animal Welfare Act.