On 8 July 2021, the Victorian Racing Tribunal (VRT) considered a charge issued by Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) Stewards against licensed trainer-driver Lisa Miles 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 ‘Shes A Hovercraft’ after it won Race 1, the ‘TAB Long May We Play 3YO Pace’, at the Bendigo harness racing meeting on 23 September 2020. Racing Analytical Services Limited (RASL) reported the sample contained the prohibited substance synephrine.
Ms Miles pleaded guilty to the charge before submissions on penalty were heard from the HRV Stewards and Ms Angela Eales, representative for Ms Miles.
Penalty
Ms Miles was fined $750, which was fully suspended for a period of 12 months.
The VRT also ordered that, under AHRR 195, ‘Shes A Hovercraft’ be disqualified from the relevant race and that the placings be amended accordingly.
VRT Panel: Judge John Bowman (Chairman) and Member Robert Abrahams
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)