RV stewards charge trainer Chris Calthorpe over Divine Turf sample

Racing Victoria stewards have issued two charges against trainer Chris Calthorpe following an investigation into a prohibited substance detected in a sample taken from his horse Divine Turf.

Divine Turf finished fifth at Kyneton in November, where a pre-race urine sample was collected from the gelding.

Analysis of the sample by Racing Analytical Services Limited, confirmed by the Australian Racing Forensic Laboratory in the reserve sample, detected O-Desmethyltramadol, a prohibited substance under the Australian Rules of Racing.

O-Desmethyltramadol is the primary active metabolite of Tramadol, an opioid analgesic used to treat pain in humans that is not registered for use in horses.

Stewards have also charged Calthorpe under AR104(1), alleging he failed to properly record treatments administered to horses in his care between September 8 and November 27, 2025, with the matter to be heard on a date to be fixed.