(Sports)Australian trainer charged with administering cobalt to horse

Peter Moody, trainer of world- beating Australian sprinter Black Caviar, has been charged by Racing Victoria after another of his horses tested positive for excessive levels of cobalt.

In October, it was revealed that Moody's promising stayer Lidari had recorded a sample that breached the maximum threshold of cobalt permissible on race day.

On Friday, Racing Victoria announced it would lay three charges against Moody, including administering the prohibited substance to Lidari, an offence which carries a maximum penalty of a three-year ban.

Cobalt is a mineral nutrient that is essential in the production of red blood cells, it only exists in trace amounts in horses.

Lidari ran in last year's Melbourne Cup, finishing well back in 19th behind German conqueror Protectionist.

The sample was taken after Lidari's second-place run in the Turnbull Stakes in October, a key lead-up event to the Melbourne Cup, in which it ran second.

Moody has previously told News Limited "nothing untoward" had occurred in the preparation of the horse for the race.

The stayer's swab had 380 micrograms of the element present within its urine, well above the Racing Victoria threshold of 200 micrograms, which many in the industry consider generous, on race day.

A date for Moody's hearing has yet to be set.

Moody is not the only high-profile Melbourne trainer to have recently come under fire from Racing Victoria stewards for an illegal sample.

Danny O'Brien, Mark Kavanagh and Lee and Shannon Hope have also been charged in relation to illegal cobalt readings.

Black Caviar famously went unbeaten through her 25-start career under Moody's guidance, winning 15 Group 1 races, including at Royal Ascot, before retiring in 2013. Endi