On 9 June 2021, the Victorian Racing Tribunal (VRT) handed down its penalty decision in relation to charges laid by the Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) Stewards against Ryan Duffy that arose out of events surrounding his conduct at the Mildura Racing Club on 13 April 2019.
Mr Duffy was found guilty to charges under Australian Harness Racing Rule (AHRR) 193(1) (Charge 1) and AHRR 187(2) (Charge 4).
Mr Duffy pleaded guilty to a charge under AHRR 187(6) (Charge 3).
Mr Duffy was found not guilty of Charge 2, which was issued under AHRR 196B(1).
Charge 5 (alternative to Charge 1) was withdrawn and Charge 6 (alternative to Charge 2) was dismissed.
Submissions in respect to penalty were heard by the Tribunal on 8 April 2021.
The penalty decision of the Tribunal, including the particulars of the charges can be found here.
Penalty
Charge 1 - AHRR 193(1) – 12 months disqualification
Charge 3 – AHRR 187(6) – 3 months disqualification (to be served cumulatively with Charge 1)
Charge 4 – AHRR 187(2) – $1000 fine