On 2 July 2024, the Victorian Racing Tribunal (VRT) considered a charge issued by Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) Stewards against licensed trainer Joseph Pace 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 ‘Flowertop Mountain’ after it won Race 3, the ‘TAB Download The App Pace’, at the Melton harness racing meeting on 14 July 2023. Racing Analytical Services Limited (RASL) reported the sample contained the prohibited substance diclofenac.
Mr Pace pleaded guilty to the charge before submissions on penalty were heard from Daniel Caruana, on behalf of the HRV Stewards, and from Mr Pace.
Penalty
Mr Pace was fined $2000, with $1000 of that fine suspended for a period of 12 months.
The VRT also ordered that, under AHRR 195, ‘Flowertop Mountain’ be disqualified from Race 3 at Melton on 14 July 2023 and that the placings be amended accordingly. Under AHRR 200(1) any prizemoney won by ‘Flowertop Mountain’ from the race is to be refunded to HRV.
VRT Panel: Judge Marilyn Harbison (Deputy Chairperson) and Danielle Hikri.
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)