On 12 August 2020, the Victorian Racing Tribunal (VRT) handed down a decision in relation to a charge issued by Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) Stewards against licensed trainer Lyndon Hall 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 ‘Trappertwo’ after it won Race 2, the ‘Gateway Maiden Pace’, at the Mildura harness racing meeting on 6 February 2020. Racing Analytical Services Limited (RASL) reported the sample contained arsenic in excess of the allowable threshold.
Mr Hall pleaded guilty to the charge, and by consent of the parties the VRT determined the matter on the papers.
Penalty
Mr Hall was fined $3000, with $2500 of that fine suspended for a period of 12 months.
The VRT also ordered that, under AHRR 195, ‘Trappertwo’ be disqualified from the relevant race and that the placings be amended accordingly. Further to that, the VRT ordered that under AHRR 200(1) any prizemoney won by ‘Trappertwo’ from the race be refunded to HRV.
VRT Panel: Judge John Bowman (Chairman)
The written decisions of the VRT can be found here.
