Leading harness trainer Emma Stewart’s six-month disqualification slashed to a fine on appeal

Leading harness racing trainer Emma Stewart has sensationally had a six-month disqualification slashed to a $12,000 fine on appeal.

Trainer Emma Stewart has had her disqualification slashed to a fine on appeal Picture: Supplied

CHAMPION trainer Emma Stewart has beaten a six-month disqualification and is free to continue training.

It is the latest twist in a dramatic and long running saga, stemming from a stable “raid” by HRV stewards on Stewart’s stables near Ballarat last September, and which has divided Victorian harness racing.

HRV stewards disqualified Stewart for six months last December after she pleaded guilty to administering an injection to Act Now and attempting to inject Show Me Heaven a day before they were scheduled to race, which is inside the permitted pre-race time frame.

Stewart appealed the severity of the penalty and on Wednesday the Victorian Racing Appeals Tribunal, chaired by Judge John Bowman, reduced the penalty to a $12,000 fine - $10,000 for the two offences and a further $2000 for failing to keep a “thoroughly maintained” logbook.

HRV chief executive Matt Isaacs said he was disappointed with the significant reduction in penalty.

“We are disappointed with the VRT and Judge Bowman’s decision. We felt that an appropriate penalty was handed down at the time by the stewards,” he said.

“But we respect today’s decision and now we will continue to work with the (Victoria) Racing Minster, the Office of Racing and the Victorian Racing Integrity Board (VRIB) to ensure that we can protect and uphold the integrity of the sport for our fans, punters and participants.”

Trainer Emma Stewart Picture: Stuart McCormick

Stewart said she was “relieved” with the result.

“Relief, that’s what I feel. It’s back to the sort of penalty I felt I should have got in the first place,” she said.

“Now we can put it all behind us and focus on all the big races coming for our horses in Queensland and beyond.”

In landing on his significantly reduced penalty, Judge Bowman worked through a series of considerations.

They included Stewart’s guilty plea and the fact she fully co-operated with the inquiry from day one.

Crucially, it was established the substance – known as “Darrows” drip – was therapeutic and rehydrating only and not capable of being a performance affecting (positive or negative) on a horse.

Stewart’s defence, including Damian Sheales, cited HRV’s own penalty guidelines on the rule in question was a $4000 fine.

They also argued a precedent where trainer Michael Doltoff had previously been caught in similar circumstances with the same substances, but denied it, and had been fined $4000.

Stewart’s appeal, which first started last December, dragged on because HRV refused permission for Stewart to transfer horses from her name to her partner, Clayton Tonkin. They fought and had it overturned by the VRT on May 22 this year.

Stewart will take a huge team of stars, headed by champion mare Ladies In Red, brilliant four-year-old The Lost Storm and unbeaten three-year-old filly Very Pretty, to Queensland for a string of feature races next month.

· Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor writing on harness racing for News Corp.

Originally published as Leading harness trainer Emma Stewart’s six-month disqualification slashed to a fine on appeal