On 10 February 2021, the Victorian Racing Tribunal (VRT) considered charges issued by Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) Stewards against licensed trainer-driver Steve Martin under Australian Harness Racing Rules (AHRR) 190(1) and 190B(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 ‘Bacardi Chardy’ prior to it competing in Trial 5 at the Tabcorp Park Melton trial meeting on 30 June 2020. Racing Analytical Services Limited (RASL) reported that analysis of the sample revealed it to contain the prohibited substances heptaminol, phenylbutazone, oxyphenbutazone and gamma-hydroxyphenylbutazone.
Mr Martin was further charged with a breach of AHRR 190B(1) being that he failed to keep and maintain a log book in accordance with the rules.
Mr Martin pleaded guilty to the charges before submissions on penalty were heard from the HRV Stewards and Mr Martin.
Penalty
Charge 1 – AHRR 190(1) - $4000 fine with $3000 suspended for 12 months
Charge 2 – AHRR 190B(1) - $250 fine
The VRT also ordered that, under AHRR 195, ‘Bacardi Chardy’ be disqualified from the relevant trial.
VRT Panel: Justice Shane Marshall (Chairman) and Andrew Gould
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)