Australian trainers Mark Kavanagh and Danny O'Brien have been banned for three and four-year bans respectively as part of the long-running cobalt saga that has rocked the antipodean racing scene.
O'Brien was disqualified for three years in relation to the positive swab taken from Caravan Rolls On, with four months of the penalties imposed in relation to his other three horses - Bondeiger, De Little Engine and Bullpit - to be served cumulatively, meaning a total four-year term.
Kavanagh was given the minimum mandatory sentence of three years in relation to the positive test taken from Magicool, while the vet at the centre of the cobalt cases, Dr Tom Brennan, was disqualified for five years.
O'Brien was pleased to have finally have had the cases heard but wasted little time in outlining his intention to appeal.
He told www.racing.com: "We are really pleased to get this part of the process behind us. Obviously, it has been a long 12 months and certainly some of the process has been less than satisfactory.
"We're on our way to VCAT (Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal) to get a stay of proceedings pending an appeal date."
O'Brien and Kavanagh were duly granted an immediate stay of proceedings by VCAT on Wednesday afternoon, so as to permit their horses to start at Wednesday afternoon's Geelong meeting.