On 12 May 2021, the Victorian Racing Tribunal (VRT) considered charges issued by the Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) Stewards against licensed persons Anton Golino and Matthew Craven under the Australian Harness Racing Rules (AHRR).
These charges emanated from the conduct of Mr Golino and Mr Craven at the Tabcorp Park Melton race meeting on 20 November 2020.
Anton Golino
Charge 1 was issued under the provisions of AHRR 231(1)(d) which states:
A person shall not:-
(d) abuse
anyone employed, engaged or participating in the harness racing industry or otherwise having a connection with it.
This charge related to Mr Golino’s conduct towards Mr Craven following Race 8 at Tabcorp Park Melton on 20 November 2020.
Charge 2 was issued under the provisions of AHRR 231(1)(e) which states:
A person shall not:-
(e) assault
anyone employed, engaged or participating in the harness racing industry or otherwise having a connection with it.
This charge related to Mr Golino’s actions towards Mr Craven following Race 8 at Tabcorp Park Melton on 20 November 2020.
Mr Golino pleaded guilty to both charges.
Matthew Craven
Charge 1 was issued under the provisions of AHRR 231(2) which states:
A person shall not misconduct himself in any way.
This charge related to Mr Craven’s conduct towards Mr Golino in response to comments made towards him following Race 8 at Tabcorp Park Melton on 20 November 2020.
Charge 2 was issued under the provisions of AHRR 231(1)(d) which states:
A person shall not:-
(e) assault
anyone employed, engaged or participating in the harness racing industry or otherwise having a connection with it.
This charge related to Mr Craven’s actions towards Mr Golino in retaliation to Mr Golino’s actions towards him following Race 8 at Tabcorp Park Melton on 20 November 2020.
Mr Craven pleaded guilty to both charges.
Penalty
After hearing submissions, the VRT imposed the following penalties:
Anton Golino
Charge 1 - $500 fine
Charge 2 - $2,000 fine with half of the penalty suspended for 2 years provided there are no further conduct related matters during that period.
Matthew Craven
Charge 1 - $250 fine
Charge 2 - $1,000 fine with half of the penalty suspended for 2 years provided there are no further conduct related matters during that period.
VRT Panel: Justice Shane Marshall (Chairman) & Dr June Smith
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)