On 28 June 2023, the Victorian Racing Tribunal (VRT) considered a charge issued by Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) Stewards against licensed trainer Tony Peacock 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 ‘Illawong Kellie’ after it won Race 2, the ‘Hendy Transport Pace’, at the St Arnaud harness racing meeting on 20 November 2022. Racing Analytical Services Limited (RASL) reported the sample contained arsenic in excess of the allowable threshold.
Mr Peacock did not enter a plea to the charge but did not challenge the facts of the case. The VRT found Mr Peacock guilty of the charge before submissions on penalty were heard on behalf of the HRV Stewards and Mr Peacock.
Penalty
Mr Peacock was fined $2500, with $2000 of that fine suspended for a period of 12 months.
The VRT also ordered that, under AHRR 195, ‘Illawong Kellie’ be disqualified from Race 2 at St Arnaud on 20 November 2022 and that the placings be amended accordingly. Further to that, the VRT ordered that under AHRR 200(1) any prizemoney won by ‘Illawong Kellie’ from the race be refunded to HRV.
VRT Panel: Judge Kathryn Kings (Acting Deputy Chairperson) and Judge Marilyn Harbison.
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)