Two Syringes in a Glove Box: Trainer Suspended at Flemington as Proxima Dea Wins the Oaks

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What did stewards find in Nick Ryan's car?

The Melbourne Cup carnival has produced a doping scandal, and it is important to explain it precisely, because the first reports blurred the details. On Saturday morning, 31 October, Racing Victoria's Compliance Assurance Team inspected trainer Nick Ryan's stables at Flemington Racecourse. In the glove box of Ryan's motor vehicle, they found two syringes of darbepoetin alfa, which is a prohibited substance under Prohibited List A of the Australian Rules of Racing.

Ryan was charged the same day with a breach of AR 250 (a), which makes possession of a substance on Prohibited List A an offence. The charge is about possession, and only about possession. No finding has been made, no penalty has been announced, and Ryan reserved his plea. The inquiry was adjourned, first to Monday 2 November, and then for a further 28 days, after an application from Ryan's legal representative. Ryan did not attend Monday's inquiry, and stewards accepted documented evidence that he was unable to attend.

At the resumed inquiry on Monday, stewards took evidence from veterinarian Dr Luke Campbell regarding his conduct when stewards inspected the stable on Saturday. Stewards will continue their inquiries with Ryan and Dr Campbell at a date to be fixed. Ryan's licence to train has been suspended effective immediately, pending the resumption of the inquiry.

What is darbepoetin alfa, and what has NOT been proven?

Darbepoetin alfa is a long-acting erythropoiesis-stimulating agent, listed in the first entry of Prohibited List A alongside EPO and Mircera. It boosts a horse's endurance by stimulating red blood cell production. It is banned at all times in racing, which is why possession alone is an offence, even without any evidence that it was used.

That distinction matters, and this post will not blur it. The stewards' Saturday and Monday statements allege possession and nothing else. No horse that was given darbepoetin alfa is named in them. No positive sample from any horse is reported. The statements do not say a syringe was used. Detection in a sample is covered separately, under AR 242, and administration is covered under AR 243 and AR 244. The Nick Ryan possession charge rests on the first of those rules, and it rests on two syringes found in a car glove box.

So do not write this story, and do not read it, as a story about a horse being doped. It is a story about a trainer found in possession of a banned substance, charged under the possession rule, suspended while the inquiry continues, and entitled to the process that follows. Ryan has trained 275 winners since taking out his licence in 2014, according to 7NEWS, and the inquiry will decide what happens to that career. Until it does, the facts are the ones in the stewards' statements, and nothing more.

| What is known | What is NOT known | | Two syringes of darbepoetin alfa found in Ryan's car glove box, 31 October | Whether any syringe was used on any horse | | Charged under AR 250 (a), possession of a Prohibited List A substance | Whether any horse tested positive, none reported | | Licence suspended effective immediately, 2 November | What penalty, if any, will follow | | Inquiry adjourned for 28 days | When the inquiry resumes | | Vet Dr Luke Campbell gave evidence on his conduct at the inspection | What, if anything, Dr Campbell did wrong |

What happens to Ryan's horses now?

Stewards acted immediately to remove Ryan's horses from racing while the inquiry continues. At noon on Saturday, stewards withdrew his two Derby Day runners: the filly Anglais from the Wakeful Stakes, Race 3, and Doubt Time from the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes, Race 6. On Monday, stewards ordered the withdrawal of two more horses under AR 23 (d): Terrortorian from Race 2 at Flemington on Tuesday 3 November, and Haaracaine from Race 5 at Flemington on Thursday 5 November, Oaks Day.

Stewards also said they are in the process of approving the transfer of all horses under Ryan's care to other licensed trainers. That is the practical consequence of a suspended licence. The horses do not stop racing, but they race for someone else, and the trainer who prepared them watches from the sidelines while the inquiry runs its course.

| Horse withdrawn | Race | When | | Anglais | Wakeful Stakes, Race 3, Derby Day | Saturday 31 October, noon | | Doubt Time | Coolmore Stud Stakes, Group 1, Race 6, Derby Day | Saturday 31 October, noon | | Terrortorian | Race 2, Flemington, Melbourne Cup Day | Tuesday 3 November | | Haaracaine | Race 5, Flemington, Oaks Day | Thursday 5 November |

Who won the Crown Oaks on Thursday?

While the Ryan case hung over the carnival, the racing itself produced a star. Unbeaten filly Proxima Dea won the Group 1 Crown Oaks at Flemington on Thursday 5 November, maintaining her perfect record with a dominant, tenacious victory in the 1 million dollar VRC Oaks over 2500 metres. It was the 168th running of the staying classic for three-year-old fillies, and it was won by the short-priced favourite, who had to do it the hard way.

Proxima Dea, trained by David Payne and ridden by Zac Lloyd, jumped from barrier 19 and sat three-wide for much of the trip, covering extra ground before asserting her class over the 2500 metre journey. She took the lead early in the long Flemington straight and surged clear, going on to win by one and three-quarter lengths from 41 dollar outsider Shameful Impulse, who nabbed Saturday's Wakeful Stakes winner and 3.50 dollar second favourite De Armas at the line to grab second. Proxima Dea started at 2.10 dollars, and she was a class above in the finish.

The win was her sixth from six starts in her first racing preparation, and her second Group 1, coming 12 days after she defeated the boys in the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes over 2000 metres. She is the first horse to complete the Group 1 double of the Spring Champion Stakes and the Oaks. A daughter of Tarzino and Invisible Coin, she is a sister to Queensland Oaks winner Gypsy Goddess, and she logged her Oaks win 117 days after making a winning debut in a 1400 metre two-year-old handicap at Randwick on 11 July.

Winning jockey Zac Lloyd was full of praise for the unbeaten filly, describing her as a special talent after she outstayed her rivals despite covering extra ground. It was Lloyd's first Group 1 win in Melbourne, and it continued an outstanding year in the saddle, after he won the Golden Slipper on Guest House earlier this year and has now won back-to-back Group 1s on Proxima Dea. Lloyd received a kiss from his dad Jeff after winning the Oaks, and then a 21-meeting suspension for two separate incidents arising from the first two races of the day, including one on the first winner Chiringita. His ban starts on Sunday and runs until 27 November.

Why is Proxima Dea now a Melbourne Cup talking point?

Trainer David Payne said after the race that Proxima Dea might be the horse he has waited his 54-year training career for, and he floated the first Tuesday in November as a dream long-term goal for his superstar filly. "She's got the lungs for it, the Melbourne Cup, that's for sure," Payne said. Jockey Zac Lloyd shared the endorsement, and early betting has her at 15 dollars for next year's Melbourne Cup, behind this year's winner Point Of Law at 8 dollars.

That is a long way from a firm plan, and Payne did not present it as one. But the logic is easy to follow. Proxima Dea is bred to stay, she has now won over 2500 metres from a wide draw, she is unbeaten in six starts, and she is only in her first preparation. She was originally purchased by leading trainer Ciaron Maher as a yearling, but the sale fell through, and she ended up with Payne, who said from day one that the Oaks was the target and stuck to it. The Melbourne Cup is the next dream, and the Oaks win is the reason it is being talked about seriously rather than as a fantasy.

What is on Champions Day on Saturday?

The Melbourne Cup carnival concludes on Saturday 7 November with three 3 million dollar Group 1 races on the card, and the table below gives the features, the times, and the headline horses.

| Champions Day feature | Time Melbourne | Distance | Prize money | Headline horse | | Champions Sprint, Group 1 | 3:50pm Saturday | 1200 metres | 3 million dollars | Tempted | | Champions Mile, Group 1 | 4:30pm Saturday | 1600 metres | 3 million dollars | Autumn Glow | | Champions Stakes, Group 1 | 5:10pm Saturday | 2000 metres | 3 million dollars | Cosmic Crusader, Birdman, Aeliana |

Tempted, trained by Ciaron Maher and ridden by Chad Schofield, from barrier 9, carrying 56.5 kilograms, is the headline sprinter. She won The Everest at Randwick on 17 October, over 1200 metres on a rain-affected track, beating Ka Ying Rising by a head, and she is on a six-run winning streak. Saturday will be her first look at the Flemington straight, which is a test in itself, because straight track sprinting is different from bend racing. She was about 1.90 dollars in Wednesday betting, with Joliestar, who ran third in The Everest, next at about 4.40 dollars.

Autumn Glow, trained by Chris Waller and ridden by James McDonald, from barrier 2, carrying 57 kilograms, is the headline miler, and she may be the best horse in Australia. She has tasted defeat just once in 15 starts, and she was breathtaking winning the King Charles III Stakes last month. She was about 1.26 to 1.28 dollars in Wednesday betting, which is very short, and if she loses it will be the upset of the carnival.

The Champions Stakes is the most open of the three Group 1 races, because it is a Cox Plate rematch. Cox Plate winner Cosmic Crusader lines up again against Birdman and Aeliana, who were second and third in the Cox Plate. Aeliana, trained by Chris Waller and ridden by James McDonald, from barrier 4, carrying 57 kilograms, was about 3.10 dollars in Wednesday betting.

| Feature race | Melbourne AEDT | London GMT | Berlin and Paris CET | New York EST, night before | Los Angeles PST, night before | Karachi PKT | | Champions Sprint, Saturday 7 November | 3:50pm Saturday | 4:50am Saturday | 5:50am Saturday | 11:50pm Friday | 8:50pm Friday | 9:50am Saturday | | Champions Mile, Saturday 7 November | 4:30pm Saturday | 5:30am Saturday | 6:30am Saturday | 12:30am Saturday | 9:30pm Friday | 10:30am Saturday | | Champions Stakes, Saturday 7 November | 5:10pm Saturday | 6:10am Saturday | 7:10am Saturday | 1:10am Saturday | 10:10pm Friday | 11:10am Saturday |

In Australia, Nine shows all four carnival days free on Channel 9 and on 9Now, and Racing.com is free on its website and app. For fans outside Australia, check local racing channels and streaming services, because rights vary by country.

What else happened at the carnival?

Two other carnival punishments are worth noting, because they show that the Ryan case is not the only integrity story of the week. Chris Waller was fined 50,000 Australian dollars after Asterix was scratched from the Melbourne Cup on race morning over a Penetrene treatment, according to AAP reporting on 3 November. Ben Allen received a 16-meeting ban for a whip breach in the Cup itself. Neither case involves a banned substance, and neither should be confused with the Ryan possession charge, but together they make this the most scrutinised Cup Week in years, and that scrutiny is the right response when the sport's integrity is in question.

The carnival does not end with the Cup, and it does not end with a scandal either. Saturday asks whether the best sprinter can handle the straight, whether the best miler can keep winning, and whether the Cox Plate form holds up over 2000 metres. Those are four proper questions, and they are why Champions Day matters, even in a week when the headlines have been about syringes in a glove box.

Related live posts: Crown Oaks and Champions Day: Fields and Times, and Point Of Law Wins Melbourne Cup as Maher Trains Historic Trifecta: Full Results, Dividends and What Happens Next.

Sources: Racing Victoria stewards statements via The Sporting Base and Betsy, Nick Ryan charged and licence suspended, 2 to 3 November 2026; The Straight, Ryan stood down, vet embroiled as stewards adjourn inquiry, 2 November 2026; Racing.com, Proxima Dea's Oaks win sparks talk of Melbourne Cup tilt, 5 November 2026; Fox Sports Australia, Proxima Dea ignites Melbourne Cup ambitions after Oaks triumph, 5 November 2026; AAP via Just Horse Racing, Proxima Dea remains unbeaten in VRC Crown Oaks, 5 November 2026; Racing.com, Saturday Snapshot Champions Day at Flemington, 4 November 2026; AAP, Waller fined 50,000 dollars over Asterix scratching, 3 November 2026.