On 30 November 2022, the Victorian Racing Tribunal (VRT) considered a charge issued by Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) Stewards against licensed trainer Steven Duffy 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 ‘Secret Identity’ after it won Race 6, the ‘Gurri (Eastern Grey Kangaroo) Pace’, at the Charlton harness racing meeting on 28 April 2022. Racing Analytical Services Limited (RASL) reported the sample contained arsenic in excess of the allowable threshold.
Mr Duffy pleaded guilty to the charge before submissions on penalty were heard on behalf of the HRV Stewards and Mr Duffy.
Penalty
Mr Duffy was fined $2000, with $1500 of that fine suspended for a period of 12 months.
The VRT also ordered that, under AHRR 195, ‘Secret Identity’ be disqualified from Race 6 at Charlton on 28 April 2022 and that the placings be amended accordingly. Further to that, the VRT ordered that under AHRR 200(1) any prizemoney won by ‘Secret Identity’ from the race be refunded to HRV.
VRT Panel: Magistrate John Doherty (Deputy Chairperson) and Judge Julie Nicholson
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)