Obscene text messages and letting down the tyres of a car resulted in two apprentice riders being suspended and another two fined yesterday.
The four Waikato apprentices - Chad Ormsby, Troy Harris, Jason Waddell and Chris Carmine - were all found guilty of misconduct at a judicial hearing in Hamilton.
New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing's chief racecourse inspector, John McKenzie, said last night that the text messages were "lewd, obscene, insulting and threatening ... to a young lady in racing, who has total name suppression".
He said the messages had been sent after a relationship with the complainant had come to an end.
"As a result of her not wanting to carry on a relationship with one of the guys, they decided this was a good form of revenge," Mr McKenzie said.
The complainant had kept the matter to herself and became depressed, he said.
"The consequence of that was that it was pretty depressing for her. She kept it to herself and she didn't want to jeopardise her career with a new employer. It went on from there to continued harassment at the [training] track in the mornings."
"It culminated in them letting down the tyres of the passenger's side of the car in the middle of the night," Mr McKenzie said.
"She went off to the track the next morning. Fortunately she didn't have an accident, but found it difficult to control the car."
Mr McKenzie said the four riders were on their last warning.
"They have been given a lifeline," he said.
"If they don't want to grab that lifeline and go ahead with it, then the consequences will be that they will cut themselves loose from our industry."
Ormsby, who is apprenticed to Lance O'Sullivan, was suspended to July 7, and Harris, son of veteran jockey Noel Harris, was suspended to June 7.
The two riders had been stood down from riding by their employers nearly two weeks ago.
Ormsby and Harris were also fined $650 each, of which $150 is to be paid by each to the complainant.
Waddell and Carmine, who were also facing misconduct charges in relation to the same matter, were both fined.
Waddell was fined $1000 and Carmine $750 and each must also pay costs of $200.
- NZPA
