The Karnataka Racehorse Owners Association and the Karnataka Trainers Association has sought to distance itself from the allegations made by horse owner Chandre Gowda against the Bangalore Turf Club. Gowda had filed a police complaint alleging that there was an attempt to suppress the truth about the positive finding of a horse named Queen Latifa and that the club had been rocked by a doping scandal.

The following is the joint press note issued by both the associations, signed by N Venkatswamy, President of the KROA and V Lokanath Gowda, Secretary of the KTA.

''On behalf of the Karnataka Racehorse Owners Association and the Karnataka Trainers Association, we are addressing this joint press note with a great sense of disappointment, following the sinister design by a Racehorse Owner, Mr. H.S. Chandre Gowda supported by disgruntled elements to bring disrepute to the Sport of Horse Racing by indulging in a disinformation campaign on an incident at the Racecourse, involving therapeutic medication to b f QUEEN LATIFA at the Club’s Veterinary Hospital. The horse is owned by Enthusiast’s Racing Syndicate and trained by Mr. Neil Darashah.

''Based on the coverage, it appears that a desperate attempt has been engineered to portray the administration of an antibiotic procaine penicillin for treating an abscess of the horse at the Club’s Veterinary Hospital, as an act meant to influence the conduct of racing. We must clarify here that this is an absurd assumption going against the tenets of veterinary sciences. The detection of procaine to an extent of 1.22 nanograms per ml of urine sample in b f QUEEN LATIFA is technically negligible and is far below the reporting levels accepted internationally. It may be noted that administration of procaine penicillin is legitimate and can excrete from the horse urine for long periods at a very low concentration.

''The enquiry process is still in progress at the Club and the findings of the sample is yet to established. In the circumstances, the campaign that there has been an collusive attempt to gloss over and delay the proceedings is misplaced. The administration of veterinary sciences underlines the need to adhere to all associated procedures with regard to quantification of the sample, a pre-requisite for concluding on the detection of a prohibited substance or otherwise in the sample. This is all the more mandatory, considering that there is judicial evidence that the horse was subjected to legitimate veterinary treatment at the Club. It must be appreciated here that at other Race Clubs, with similar quantities of procaine being detected from the samples, enquiries remain still incomplete. Alongside, declaration of samples, as containing a prohibited substance remain inconclusive, based on the principle that the levels are far below the accepted international reporting levels.

''We are therefore issuing this press note to condemn the action of one of the Racehorse Owners to discolour the entire issue, essentially veterinary in therapeutic nature, as that involving a criminal intent and bringing disrepute to the image of racing by indulging in a slanderous campaign that b f QUEEN LATIFA was a medium of doping. We are committed to ensuring the integrity of horse racing and therefore we urge the authorities that the split sample of b f QUEEN LATIFA be subjected to a full analysis at an international accredited laboratory in the overall context of our commitment to the integrity of Horse Racing. Incidentally, we would like to add here that one of the horses belonging to the Racehorse Owner, (the complainant), Mr. H.S. Chandre Gowda, indulging in the smear campaign, was privately administered a steroid, which warranted disqualification of the horse YOURE STUNNING and punishment of the trainer concerned during the year 2012.’’