Oliver fails drug test

Victoria's No.1 jockey Damien Oliver has been suspended from riding for a month after being found to have used the same banned substance that saw Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona booted out of the 1994 World Cup.

Racing Victoria announced on Tuesday that Oliver had tested positive to the banned substance ephedrine, which is banned under Australian Rule of Racing 81A(1)(a), as a result of urine sample taken on Derby Day, October 31.

Oliver has been suspended for a month, beginning at midnight on November 25, and cannot return to riding until Boxing Day.

Luckily for Oliver the suspension will fall during one of the quietest times on the Australian racing calendar although the suspension is a significant stain on the record of the golden boy of Australian racing.

The random sample was taken on Derby Day as part of RVL's rider sampling program with Oliver having since returned a clear urine sample after having best tested again prior to competing at Ascot during Perth's Railway Stakes meeting last Saturday.

Ephedrine is commonly used as an appetite suppressant with Oliver's urine sample having contained traces of a 'herbal supplement'.

But the champion hoop said in a press release, released by the Australian Jockey's Association, that he has been taking the substance to help him control his weight without any previous issues.

Oliver pleaded guilty to breaching Racing Victoria's drug rules at a hearing on Tuesday with the stewards electing to issue him with a month's suspension after taking into account his previous good record.

However Oliver will contest the severity of the penalty handed down by RVL stewards believing 'the penalty is highly excessive based on penalties previously imposed in other cases.'

The Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board will hear the appeal at a date to be fixed.