A methamphetamine-fuelled run by Queensland racehorse Party Till Dawn has cost its trainer a $9,000 fine from racing authorities concerned about the impact on the sport’s image.
In a case that made global headlines, the aptly named five-year-old mare tested positive to the illicit stimulant after placing second at a Toowoomba race meeting last June.
The Queensland Racing Integrity Commission on Wednesday announced the penalty against the trainer, Ben Currie, who had fought the charge of presenting a horse with a prohibited substance.
A panel of stewards who met on 28 December decided the penalty needed to serve as a deterrent in light of “the nature of the substance and the potential to compromise the health and welfare of Party Till Dawn”.
They also took into account “the negative impact to the image of thoroughbred racing and the potential to undermine the integrity of the sport”, the QRIC said.
Currie had pleaded not guilty after being formally charged by the QRIC last month. That followed a second confirmed positive test of the horse for traces of the drug in its urine and an interview by stewards of a stablehand employed by Currie.
The QRIC said because Currie may seek an internal review of the stewards’ verdict, or challenge it in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal, it was not appropriate to comment further.
