Trainer Lindsay Hatch calls for greater mental health support after his 12-month suspension was reduced to a fine

Lindsay Hatch has called on racing authorities to provide better mental health support after the Toowoomba trainer was left fighting to save his career.

Lindsay Hatch has called on racing authorities to provide better mental health support after the Toowoomba trainer had his 12-month racing suspension for a cobalt offence reduced to a fine on Thursday.

Hatch was suspended by stewards in relation to racehorse Dream Lantern returning a post-race urine sample containing cobalt above the permitted threshold after winning at Ipswich in August last year.

He was allowed to continue training on a stay of proceedings and appeared at the Queensland Racing Appeals Panel in Brisbane on February 21 to give evidence when he maintained there were no cobalt salts in his stable.

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On Thursday, the panel quashed the ban and ruled that Hatch instead pay a $7500 fine.

He told Racenet last week that the appeals process had taken a heavy toll on the trainer and his wife Tracey, who had “come home crying every day” and was a nervous wreck.

“It’s been a hard six months since we first found out about this, particularly on my wife,” Hatch said on Thursday.

“Really there should be something done about mental health because you get no support from anyone.

“It’s been a very trying time and financially draining. There’s a lot that’s happened over the last five months. We’re just very relieved.”

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Hatch said the only phone call he had received from any racing official came from Cameron Partington, head of the Australian Trainers’ Association (Queensland), which was “great”.

He estimated the saga had cost him about $40,000 in legal fees, reduced earnings and the $7500 fine.

Partington agreed that more could be done to help support trainers facing charges that had the potential to ruin them financially and emotionally.

Queensland trainer Lindsay Smith is relieved after his 12-month ban for a cobalt offence has been reduced to a $7000 fine. Picture: Bev Lacey/The Chronicle

“It’s a very lonely place when you’ve got those charges because people tend to drop off you and don’t want to know about it,” he said.

“It’s there (mental health support services) but it’s only just there.

“RQ (Racing Queensland) has got it and on our website we’ve got a link to it, which is an industry support program that I run but you can only do so much.

“That’s because everyone just does it for perception but what are we really doing (to help)?”

Hatch thanked his lawyer Jim Murdoch KC for his “persistence”, plus top trainers from around Australia and his horses’ owners for their support during the appeals process.

“We had overwhelming support from leading trainers all over Australia,” Hatch said.

“We’ve also had great support from the owners, who have stuck by me.

“We’re just happy with the result and now I can concentrate on training winners.”

Originally published as Trainer Lindsay Hatch calls for greater mental health support after his 12-month suspension was reduced to a fine