Hobartville Stakes favourite El Roca has been scratched following an inquiry into the three year old being treated on Friday morning.

El Roca scratched from Hobartville Stakes. Photo by Steve Hart.

Racing New South Wales chief steward Ray Murrihy said he had no choice but to order the scratching of El Roca from the Group 2 $200,000 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill today following his team discovering that the three year old had been treated the day before the race.

Stewards ordered blood tests from El Roca and opened an inquiry when the surveillance team discovered that the New Zealand colt had been treated with an alkaline substance at 6AM on Friday morning, which is against the rules of racing.

“Nathan Haywood (Racing NSW) and his team, went through Waterhouse’s stables and a few others at Randwick, they went through Trent Busuttin’s treatment records and found the horse had been treated on Friday morning at 6am,” Murrihy said.

“It doesn’t comply with the Australian Rules, but unfortunately it complies with the Victorian Rules and it was the Randwick Equine Centre vet, we have interviewed them and we are waiting on what the TC02 reading is.

“The rule states that you can’t give an alkaline agent on the day of the race or one clear day before.”

Before his scratching El Roca was at the  head the Ladbrokes.com.au market order for the Hobartville Stakes at $2.50 after comfortably winning the Listed $125,000 Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on February 15.