HRV Stewards have issued charges against licensed trainer Ms Brooke Hansen and licensed stablehand Mr Timothy O’Brien under Australian Harness Racing Rule (AHRR) 190 (1) which provides:
A horse shall be presented for a race free of prohibited substances
It is alleged that the horse ‘Perspective’ was presented to race at Mildura on 8 April 2017 by Mr O’Brien, on behalf of Ms Hansen who was not in attendance, whilst not free of alkalinising agents, a prohibited substance when evidenced by a total carbon dioxide (TCO2) concentration in excess of 36 millimoles per litre in plasma.
AHRR 190(3) reads as follows:
If a person is left in charge of a horse and the horse is presented for a race otherwise than in accordance with sub rule (1), the trainer of the horse and the person left in charge is each guilty of an offence.
The charges against both participants will be heard by the HRV Racing Appeals and Disciplinary (RAD) Board on a date to be fixed.