Race Day Medication Rules: Why a Liniment Scratched Asterix

Race day medication rules in horse racing: why Asterix was scratched

Under race day medication rules in horse racing in Australia, a horse can't be given any medication on race day before it runs, and a liniment sold to ease soreness counts as medication. Only a short list of everyday products, like normal feed, shampoo, fly spray and routine hoof oil, is allowed, and treating a minor wound needs the stewards' permission first. That's why Chris Waller's Asterix was scratched from the 2026 Melbourne Cup on the morning of the race, even though the product on his legs is legal on every other day of the week.

Here's what happened on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Racing Victoria's Compliance Assurance Team reported that Penetrene had been applied to both of the eight-year-old gelding's forelegs in his stable that morning. Penetrene is a topical liniment marketed as an anti-inflammatory and pain reliever for strains, sprains and muscle soreness.

Stewards ordered Asterix out of the race at 10:33am under rule AR 249(3), about four and a half hours before the 3pm start. The Cup went ahead with 23 runners instead of 24. For the result, see our Melbourne Cup 2026 report, and read about the winner in Who Is Point Of Law?.

The fine

Later that day, Waller pleaded guilty to a charge under AR 227(a) of the Australian Rules of Racing and was fined A$50,000. Stewards accepted that a member of his staff had applied the liniment in error.

In setting the penalty, stewards said they weighed how serious the breach was, the fact that a Melbourne Cup runner was lost, Waller's guilty plea and his excellent record with similar offences. Chief steward Rob Montgomery called it an honest mistake that had big consequences for the horse's connections, some of whom had travelled from New Zealand to watch him run.

Waller told reporters the horse gets the same treatment every day and that the liniment was put on openly, in front of a security guard, under race-day pressure. He said the responsibility was his because it was his team. The scratch also left jockey Jye McNeil without a Cup ride.

Why a legal liniment counts as medication on race day

The key idea: the rules don't ask whether a product is legal. They ask when it was given. Racing Victoria said any substance given to a horse on race day, topical applications included, is treated as medication, and the national rules don't allow medication on race day before a horse runs.

Racing NSW, which applies the same national rule (AR 249), spells it out in its race-day medication guide:

• The principle: horses must race free of the effects of drugs or other substances.
• The definition: "medication" means any treatment with drugs or other substances. Anything given in the hope of a therapeutic effect counts.
• Any route counts: injection, stomach tube, paste, dose syringe, topical application or inhalation, "amongst any other routes."
• Products that claim to be undetectable (often herbal or homeopathic) still count as medication.

So a liniment sold to ease soreness falls squarely inside the definition. Nobody has to prove it would have changed the race. Giving it is the breach, and the only safe response is to keep the horse out.

What is usually allowed on race day in Australia

Racing NSW's guide lists a short set of things that are fine:

• Normal feed, plus supplements used as the label directs for daily use, as long as the horse eats or drinks them voluntarily.
• Shampoo, fly spray, baby oil and petroleum jelly.
• Routine hoof oil, unless the product claims pain relief or anti-inflammatory action.
• Ice, chilled water or whirlpool boots on the legs in the stables on race morning, but not on the racecourse before the race.
• Vibrating massage systems in the stables in the morning, but not on course.

One thing needs a request first: a minor wound that doesn't affect the horse's fitness to race may get a topical antiseptic or antibiotic, but only after the trainer asks the stewards before racing. Physical therapies such as acupuncture, laser, TENS, therapeutic ultrasound and chiropractic work are not permitted at any time before racing on race day.

How other jurisdictions handle race-day treatment

The principle is the same almost everywhere: the horse that races should be the horse, not the horse plus whatever was in the stable that morning. The details differ.

Britain

The British Horseracing Authority's guidance on raceday restrictions (last updated in 2014) starts with one line: on raceday, no substance may be given to a horse other than normal feed and water. If a horse is treated on raceday, by injection, by mouth or any other way, the stewards will order it withdrawn on the advice of the Veterinary Officer.

Britain is also strict about equipment and paperwork. Trainers must ask the on-duty Veterinary Officer each time they want to bring a treatment into the racecourse stables, and items like some cold-compression and massage systems are listed as not permitted on raceday.

United States

Since May 2023, Thoroughbred racing in most of the US has run under the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's Anti-Doping and Medication Control program. It sorts substances into a Banned list, which a horse should never receive, and a Controlled list of legitimate medications that are restricted around races.

Instead of the calendar day, the US counts a "race period" that starts 48 hours before a race, and giving a controlled medication in relation to that period is a violation. The best-known exception is furosemide (Lasix). In May 2026, HISA's board left in place the rule that allows it in the 48 hours before a race for most horses, but not for 2-year-olds or horses running in stakes races.

What stewards actually do on race morning

Big race days come with a security and integrity operation most fans never see. Here's how the pieces fit, using the Asterix case as the example:

1. Watching the stables. Integrity staff and security monitor the horses. In this case, Racing Victoria's Compliance Assurance Team spotted the treatment and reported it.
2. Questions and evidence. Stewards interviewed Waller and took evidence from stable staff, a Compliance Assurance Team officer and a Racing Victoria regulatory vet.
3. The scratch decision. Stewards withdrew Asterix under AR 249(3), part of the national race-day medication rule. That call comes first and fast, so the horse never runs with the substance.
4. The penalty, separately. The inquiry into who was responsible and what the punishment should be can come later. Here it took a few hours.
5. Testing and records. Racing authorities can take samples before and after races. Australian trainers must also record any medication or treatment given to horses in their care (AR 104).

Not every scratch involves a substance. Horses are also withdrawn because a vet finds them unsound or because the trainer pulls them out. Our explainer on the vet scratch covers how those checks work.

What an 'honest mistake' means for the penalty

The Asterix case is really two separate questions, and it helps fans and new owners to keep them apart.

Can the horse run? No. The rule is about what was given, not why. Even when nothing was hidden and nobody meant harm, the horse can't race once it has received medication on race day without permission. That protects every other runner, the bettors and the sport's credibility.

How much should the trainer be punished? This is where intent matters. Stewards accepted that the liniment was applied in error by a staff member, so there was no finding of cheating. The fine reflects:

• Responsibility. The trainer answers for what the stable team does. Waller said so himself.
• Seriousness. It was the Melbourne Cup, and the owners lost their runner.
• Mitigation. A guilty plea and an excellent record on similar offences count in the trainer's favor.

In short, an honest mistake changes the size of the penalty and how the story should be read. It doesn't change the scratch.

A race-day checklist for new owners and fans

This isn't treatment advice. Your trainer and vet handle care, and the rules differ by country. But these questions are worth asking:

• What is our race-day routine? Ask the trainer who handles the horse on race morning and what gets removed from the race-day kit.
• Who knows the rules? Everyone who touches the horse should know that "routine" products can be a breach on race day.
• What happens with a minor wound? Find out how the stable asks stewards for permission before applying anything.
• Where do I check scratchings? Fans should follow the official stewards' notices and racing authority sites, not social media rumors.
• What does a scratch cost? Owners lose the run and the chance at prize money, and in big races a scratch can mean months of planning lost.

New to horses in general? Our safety basics and health basics pages are good places to start.

What to watch next

• The stewards' report. Racing Victoria publishes stewards' reports, and the full wording on Asterix is the definitive record.
• Asterix's next start. No new race had been announced as of Nov. 3. Wait for his connections to confirm a plan rather than trusting rumors.
• Rule changes. HISA lists proposed changes to its anti-doping and medication rule series on its regulations page, so US rules are still changing.
• The rest of the carnival. Racing continues at Flemington this week, and every stable there works under the same race-day rule that caught Asterix.

For more racing explainers, browse the latest trends or ask other fans in the community.