Mark Currie pleads guilty to race day administration charges

Toowoomba trainer Mark Currie has pleaded guilty to two race day administration charges.

By agreement between the parties Mr Currie pleaded guilty to that without the permission of the stewards he caused the administration of a medication to horses on 24 March and 7 April, 2018 on the same day they raced at Toowoomba and Brisbane.

Mr Currie has been suspended for 12 months on each charge, wholly suspended for 12 months and fined $7500.

A restriction has been placed on his licence for a period of three months; until 16 August the maximum number of horses he can train is 40.  

Mr Currie is also unable to train those horses that were formerly trained by Currie Racing except for an agreed list of horses that are owned or part owned by Donna and Mark Currie.  

At the expiry of the three month period, the transfer of any horses will be at the discretion of the Stewards.

Today’s settlement is the result of the QCAT appeal of Mr Currie’s two year disqualification in May last year of 16 race day treatment related charges.

Racing Integrity Commissioner Ross Barnett said the decision to bring these proceedings to finality resulted in part from legal advice about the inability of the Commission to make key witnesses available due to ongoing health issues.

“In these circumstances I considered that an indeterminate further lengthy delay in these proceedings was not in the interests of racing and a negotiated settlement was appropriate.

“Today’s decision brings to four the number of Currie Racing employees who have been convicted over breaches of the rules of racing at the Currie Racing stable.”

ENDS..