Mitchell Still In Hot Water Over Great Chase Positive
Victorian greyhound trainer Geoff Mitchell is still in hot water over his positive swab with Great Chase finalist Outta There from back in November 2008.
Outta There was quite literally “outta there” when after being allocated box 2 for the Great Chase final at The Meadows, when the greyhound subsequently returned a positive swab to Dexamethasone from the winning run that qualified it for the final.
Outta There was quickly replaced in the Great Chase final by Quick Drink after GRV Stewards disqualifed the greyhound from its previous win, even before the inquiry was heard.
It was a good thing that they didn't wait for the inquiry to be heard, beacuse it wasn't until the 24th February that MItchell and Outta There's Stewards Inquiry was finallly held. Not surprisingly, that inquiry found Mitchell guilty of presenting Outta There to race while under the influence of Dexamethasone and suspended him for two months and fined him $1,000.
More than six months after the intial incident, the fall out still continued this week as Mitchell was again hauled before a Stewards Inquiry to face charges of giving false evidence at the initial Stewards Inquiry.
What that evidence was and how GRV Stewards came to know it as false is left for us to guess, as has been the trend of GRV Stewards Inquiry reports lately, the detail is very light on.
The only indication of who, how or where this second inquiry stemmed from, is that casual GRV Stewards Peter Chitty tabled a statement before the inquiry. Other than that GRV Stewards heard evidence from Geoff Mitchell, GRV Chief Steward Dr. Brian Williams, and GRV Deputy Chief Steward Mr. Glenn Fish.
After hearing the evidence, GRV Stewards charged Mr. Geoff Mitchell with breach of GAR 86 (x) in that at a Stewards inquiry conducted on the 24 February, 2009, he did make a false statement, by oral means, to an Officer of the Controlling Body.
Mitchell pleaded not guilty to the charge, but GRV Stewards found him guilty as charged.
Now, you would think that if GRV Stewards are going to go to the effort of proving you lied at an Stewards Inquiry and revisit the case many months later, that this might be a fairly serious offence. Well if lying before a Stewards Inquiry is considered a serious offence then the penalty handed down for this heinous crime would give abslolutely no indication of its gravity.
Mitchell was fined just $200.