PROMINENT Border trainer Craig Widdison's spring plans have been thrown into turmoil after being charged by Racing Victoria stewards over an elevated bicarb reading.
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Widdison will front the Victorian Racing Tribunal after stewards laid three charges on Monday relating to an elevated TCO2 taken from Cash Crisis at Sandown in early February.
Racing Analytical Services Limited reported the blood sample contained a total carbon dioxide in excess of 36 millimoles per litre in plasma, constituting a prohibited substance under Australian Rules of Racing.
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The most serious charge against Widdison is of administering, or causing to be administered, a prohibited substance to Cash Crisis for the purpose of affecting the performance or behaviour of the horse in the race.
A second charge of simply administering, or causing to be administered, a prohibited substance that produced a TCO2 level above the allowed 36 millimoles per litre in blood was also laid.
Widdison was also charged with presenting Cash Crisis to race with a prohibited substance in his system.
The Albury Gold Cup winning trainer will face the Victorian Racing Tribunal on a date to be fixed.
Widdison declined to comment when contacted yesterday.
Cash Crisis finished sixth in the $50,000 Benchmark 70 Hcp, (1300m) won by Brave Tango at Sandown Lakeside on February 6.
The five-year-old gelding was a $61-chance and was ridden by Chelsea MacFarlane.
Widdison is the second biggest trainer on the Border behind Mitch Beer.
The Wodonga horseman trains more than 40 horses.
Widdison has been based at Wodonga for almost three years and has stamped himself as one of the premier trainers on the Border.
Willi Willi handed the young trainer his biggest success of his career when he saluted in the $180,000 Albury Gold Cup last year.
Widdison had two runners at Albury yesterday which both finished unplaced.
