Cobalt penalties loom for Vic trainers

Two Victorian trainers and a vet found guilty of administering cobalt to racehorses will find out if they have been disqualified from the sport.

Danny O'Brien, Mark Kavanagh and vet Tom Brennan were found guilty in December of the administration of cobalt for the purpose of affecting the performance of a horse in a race.

The Racing and Appeals Disciplinary Board will on Wednesday hand down their penalties.

Unless there are special circumstances, the minimum penalty is a three-year disqualification.

Four O'Brien-trained horses and the Kavanagh-trained Magicool returned levels of cobalt above the 200 micrograms per litre of urine threshold in races in 2014.

Counsel for the vet on Tuesday asked the board for a lenient penalty during submissions on how the men should be disciplined.

Brennan, the primary care vet, had pleaded guilty to all but one charge of administering cobalt, while O'Brien and Kavanagh denied the charges.

The trainers' lawyer, Damian Sheales, says a lengthy ban would destroy the men's livelihoods.

Mr Sheales has also criticised the way Racing Victoria stewards have investigated elevated cobalt readings across the thoroughbred racing industry.

"Cobalt has been like the Salem witch trials," he told the hearing on Tuesday.

The trainers have said they want to take the case to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to get a fairer outcome.