Sabotage, says Shroff

The doping scandal at the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) in which racehorse trainer and former star jockey Pesi Shroff alleged that there was "conspiracy” against him has turned murkier. One of the suspects, assistant trainer and punter Deepak Popat has turned witness and handed over 18 recorded conversations that reveal Shroff may have been framed, reported Mumbai Mirror (MM) of August 23, 2014. Bulls Eye, a filly trained by Shroff was disqualified and the trainer was banned from training for nine months. Two months before the ban Shroff had made a complaint at the Tardeo police station that there was an attempt to sabotage his career. The Crime Branch, which stepped in later, has found some merit in the complaint and has called Shroff’s fierce competitor Kawasji "Cooji” Katrak twice for questioning. Katrak may be called for further interrogation, mentioned MM on August 7, 2014.

Competitors Pesi Shroff (l) and Cooji Katrak

Popat allegedly claimed that Katrak and a certain Umed Singh were involved in the sabotage plan with some RWITC committee members being in the know. He reportedly told the Crime Branch that four employees of the Nanoli Stud Farm near Poona who were taking care of Bulls Eye were asked to sign affidavits that the filly was injected with Boldenone, a banned performance enhancing drug. These affidavits were to have been produced during the RWITC’s disciplinary hearing against Shroff on March 12, 2014 and would have resulted in him, former RWITC chairman Khushroo N. Dhunjibhoy and the stud farm being banned for a long period of time, according to the MM report.
The urine sample of Bulls Eye, winner of four races in the 2012-13 season and co-owned by Dhunjibhoy, Berjis Desai and Vijay Shirke, tested positive for Boldenone on December 6, 2013 when she was brought to Bombay from Nanoli Stud Farm. After four months of investigation by the Crime Branch, four employees of the stud farm were arrested and are now out on bail.
When Katrak, 63, who has been training horses for four decades, was summoned he was out of the country on vacation, MM states. He finally went there on August 5, 2014 and was questioned for two hours.