Gosford trainer Greg McFarlane is determined to fight “all the way” to overturn a two-and-a-half-year disqualification for an erythropoietin (EPO) positive, basing his appeal on the fact expired blood collection tubes were used in the test.

McFarlane, who has two runners at Rosehill on Saturday, was handed the penalty on August 7 for the out-of-competition test on mare Bremel in February 2025. He lodged an appeal and was granted a stay of proceedings on the same day. He is still waiting for a date to be set for that hearing.

EPO, identified by the presence of peptides fragments VYSNFLR and SLTTLLR in Bremel’s test result, stimulates bone marrow production of red blood cells and is considered a prohibited list A substance.

McFarlane pleaded not guilty to the EPO charge and another of having a container not labelled properly at his stables. He was fined $300 for the labelling error and $600 for having inaccurate treatment records. EPO was not found during inspections of McFarlane’s stables.

He said he and his legal team were shocked when they looked into the evidence and found expired collection tubes had been used in the Bremel swab.

“The black and white of it is we’ve appealed the decision and the appeal challenges the evidence, including the use of expired blood collection tubes when the out-of-competition test was taken,” McFarlane said.

“Using expired tubes is significant, and we maintain therefore that the evidence does not sustain the charge. Expired blood collection tubes are not to be used in anti-doping testing for a number of reasons. There are numerous standards and regulations worldwide to prevent the use of expired blood collection tubes.”

A Racing NSW source confirmed to the Herald that the blood collection tubes were past their expiry date, but stewards, after hearing expert evidence, believed that this would not have affected the results.

In handing down the disqualification, stewards took McFarlane’s disciplinary record, “which included prior like offences” into account. McFarlane served a two-year ban in 2013-15 after he was caught stomach-tubing a horse at Rosehill.

The former track cyclist, who won the Melbourne Cup on Wheels race in 2003 before moving into thoroughbred training, said the case was “going to be fought all the way”. He has 22 horses in work at Gosford, where he has been for seven years.

“It’s very difficult for business because it’s not just yourself,” McFarlane said. “It’s owners and everyone else who don’t know where they stand. We know the facts, and that’s the way we are proceeding.”

Meanwhile, McFarlane is focused on getting wins on the track. Bremel raced at Canterbury on Wednesday and finished seventh, and he has Kosuke and Sandbi running at Rosehill on Saturday.

Sandbi, a winner on debut at Gosford before a sixth at Canterbury, was $26 for race two, a 1300m benchmark 72 handicap for three-year-olds. Kosuke ($71) is resuming the Midway handicap to start the day.

“Sandbi is a nice horse,” said McFarlane, who has 197 career winners.

“It’s a typical race this time of the year. They are generally smaller fields and it will be a bit of a mixed bag with the field, so we’ll have a go at it and then he’ll go for a spell and come back a much improved horse from this.

“Kosuke, he’ll be starting off. We were tossing up between Newcastle and Rosehill, but it was much of a muchness, and I thought 1500m with the lesser weight was the way to go. But he will better when he gets up over distance.”

Up-and-coming talent has Wong excited

Hawkesbury trainer Tommy Wong expects unbeaten colt Hostwin King to be competitive when he tackles stakes grade on Saturday in the listed Rosebud (1100m), and then maybe even better when he steps out a second time.

Hostwin King, a $210,000 yearling buy for Hong Kong investor Jason Tam, came from midfield to win a 1000m two-year-old maiden on debut at Kembla before racing on speed in a half-length victory at Canterbury at 1200m.

The son of King’s Legacy steps up again when he takes on the likes of group winners Blue Door ($3.60) and Chilly Girl ($6.50), and promising colts Castillo King and Central Europe ($4.60).

Wong is chasing a first black-type career victory with the $34 chance. Ash Morgan has the ride.

“He’s running against group horses, so it’s a challenge,” Wong said.

“If he’s good, then we go one level up. The next step is the Up And Coming over 1300, which could suit him better. According to the pedigree, he could run a bit further.

“But we go step by step, there’s no rush. The horse will tell you.

“He’s still a colt but not colty at all, and eating well, doing well, but obviously we are racing with the more expensive horses and big stables.

“But we’ve got a good jockey on, barrier six, and we’re only carrying 54 kilos, so he should be competitive.”

He said Hostwin King is already one of the better horses he’s trained. Wong came to Australia from Hong Kong in 1991 and has been training full-time since 2001.

“This is one which is a bit exciting for us, a small stable,” he said.

“We have 30 on the books, but a lot of them are young ones, breaking in, spelling and just turning over.

“This is the first horse I’ve had with Jason, but I’ve known him for a long time, but in those days, his horses were going to Gary Moore and his son. Last year we met at the sales and we bought this one.

“On paper, we had selected, with the help of Inglis, 10. This one passed the vet check, he had good confirmation, but we nearly lost it. Somebody wanted to bid up to $200,000, and Jason wanted to stop there, but Jason’s wife raised her hand. ‘One more time’, she said, and we got it.”