On 29 November 2023, the Victorian Racing Tribunal (VRT) considered a charge issued by Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) Stewards against licensed trainer-driver Courtney Slater 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 Luva Scrap after it won Race 2, the “Alabar 2YO Maiden Pace”, at the Shepparton harness racing meeting on 27 December 2022. Racing Analytical Services Limited (RASL) reported the sample contained arsenic at a concentration in excess of the allowable threshold.
Ms Slater pleaded guilty to the charge before submissions on penalty were heard on behalf of the HRV Stewards and from Ms Slater.
Penalty
Ms Slater was fined $3000, with $1500 of that fine suspended for a period of 12 months.
The VRT also ordered that, under AHRR 195, Luva Scrap be disqualified from Race 2 at Shepparton on 27 December 2022 and that the placings be amended accordingly. Further to that, under AHRR 200(1) any prizemoney won by Luva Scrap from the race shall be refunded to HRV.
VRT Panel: Judge Kathryn Kings (Deputy Chairperson) and Heidi Keighran.
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)