More Nominations Mayhem in Queensland
Not more than one week after we reported the farcical situation involving greyhound trainer Renald Attard and his greyhound Come Up Uno being nominated and drawn in fields three times while supsended, yet another case of a supsended greyhound being drawn to compete has occurred.
On Wednesday 6th August 2008, Vincaro trained by James Carlton successfully won the seventh race of the meeting, but in doing so raced erratically in the home straight and interferred with the running of greyhound Flat Strap.
Vincaro subsequently was charged with marring and given a 28 day standown at Ipswich. Vincaro was also oredered to trial satisfactorily before the stewards prior to future nomination.
Vincaro completed that satisfactory trial on the 1st September 2008 at the Brisbane Greyhound Racing Club meeting at Albion Park. However, as is customary, by completing the staisfactory trial at Albion Park and not at Ipswich, where the offence took place, the run only clears Vincaro to race again at all tracks except Ipswich.
However, a quick review of the stewards report clearly states that :
Prior to the running of Race 1 the greyhounds VINCARO and HAPPY MORAYFIELD both performed satisfactory stewards' trials over the distance of 520m. Both greyhounds are now cleared to nominate all tracks.
Vincaro was nominated for a 5th grade event at Albion Park over 520 metres on the 9th September 2008 and was drawn in the a field, subsequently finishing sixth from box seven.
Vincaro was also nominated and drawn to compete at another Albion Park meeting on 16th September 2008, but was withdrawn by the trainer due to injury of the near side hind foot.
Vincaro was nominated to compete at an Ipswich Greyhound Racing Club meeting on the 17th October 2008 and was again drawn to compete, given box five in race ten on the card.
As was the case with previous fiasco, the Stewards withdrew the greyhound from race ten, but not until close of scartchings on race day and Vincaro was a late scratching from the event.
Last Friday Greyhounds Queensland Stewards convened an inquiry in relation to the nomination of the greyhound Vincaro to compete on the 17th October 2008 at the Ipswich racing club whilst under suspension.
Stewards directed Trainer Mr. James Carlton of Greenbank to appear.
After taking evidence from Mr. Carlton, Stewards charged the Trainer under GAR 86 (o) which states;
A person (including an official) shall be guilty of an offence if the person –
(o) has, in relation to a greyhound or greyhound racing, done a thing, or omitted to do a thing, which, in the opinion of the Stewards or the Controlling Body, as the case may be, is negligent, dishonest, corrupt, fraudulent or improper, or constitutes misconduct
Mr. Carlton pleaded not guilty to the charged, but was subsequently found guilty as charged and fined $100.
Again no action was taken against the grader who had incorrectly drawn the greyhound to compete.
Nor is there any evidence of any action being taken against Greyhounds Queensland Senior Steward Gail Thorsby, who incorrectly issued the Stewards Report at Albion Park on the 1st September 2008 that advised “Vincaro…..performed satisfactory stewards' trials over the distance of 520m……now cleared to nominate all tracks”.
In fact, in what can only be described as an extremely unsatisfactory situation, it was the same steward Gail Thorsby, as Acting Chairman Of Stewards, who conducted the inquiry in the Mr Carlton with the aid of Senior Steward Zachary Bryson.
Surely Greyhounds Queensland must act quickly to ensure that Stewards who are implicit in a situation under investigation are not sitting in judgement on that same inquiry. It just commonsense.