On 5 July 2021, the Victorian Racing Tribunal (VRT) considered a charge issued by Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) Stewards against licensed trainer Andrew Farrugia under Australian Harness Racing Rule (AHRR) 190(1).
AHRR 190(1) reads as follows:
A horse shall be presented for a race free of prohibited substances.
The charge related to a urine sample collected from the horse ‘Andrew Swagger’ before it placed 8th in the ‘TAB Long May We Play Vicbred Maiden Pace’, at the Echuca harness racing meeting on 21 October 2020. Racing Analytical Services Limited (RASL) reported the sample contained cobalt in excess of the allowable threshold.
Mr Farrugia pleaded guilty to the charge before submissions on penalty were heard from the HRV Stewards and Mr Farrugia.
Penalty
Mr Farrugia’s licence was suspended for a period of 15 months.
The VRT also ordered that, under AHRR 195, ‘Andrew Swagger’ be disqualified from Race 1 at Echuca on 21 October 2020 and that the placings be amended accordingly.
VRT Panel: Judge John Bowman (Chairperson) and Magistrate John Doherty (Deputy Chairperson).
The written decisions of the VRT can be found here.
(Please note that VRT Decisions will generally be published within 7-10 days of the date of hearing)