Board of Appeal to hear Pesi Shroff's appeal on September 16

MUMBAI: The Board of Appeal (BOA) of the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) is likely to hear trainers Pesi Shroff and Cooji Katrak's appeal on Friday, September 16.
The third trainer, Sheraz Sunderji, has decided not to file an appeal and serve his 45-day suspension.
How BOA is going to deal with the appeals of Shroff and Katrak is now a hot topic of debate in racing circles.The stewards' decision, which is being dubbed as light and the way the entire investigation process has been carried out, has certainly put BOA under pressure.
According to sources, BOA is likely to reject the appeals and upheld the stewards' decision, if not increase it.
There is no provision for feed supplement testing in the medication rules of the RWITC, which leaves BOA in a tricky situation as the stewards may have taken liberty to try testing but BOA can not afford to offer the same comfort to the trainers and raise another controversy.
Going by the kind of public attention it has generated, it will not be easy for BOA to justify any lighter punishment.