One of New Zealand's most successful harness racing trainers, South Aucklander Geoff Small, has been disqualified from training or driving for six months.
He was yesterday found guilty of scratching one of his horses in a manner detrimental to harness racing and uttering abusive words about a course official.
Small
was also fined $5000 at a hearing at Addington, in relation to events at a New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club meeting at Addington last month.
Last week, Small was found guilty on both charges and was given a chance to make defence submissions before yesterday's penalty judgment by New Zealand Harness Racing's Judicial Control Authority.
The incident surrounded the club's vet Corin Murfitt ruling that Small's horse Changeover, last year's cup winner, was not fit to run in the feature race on October 16.
Small subsequently abused Murfitt by telephone from Auckland and scratched another of his horses, All Tiger, minutes before the start when there was no adequate reason for doing so.
Small's legal counsel Paul McMenamin applied for an adjournment to give him time to study the case before presenting submissions.
JCA chairman Russell McKenzie overruled the application for an adjournment. In announcing the six-month disqualification, McKenzie said Small would be given a two-week deferment to allow him time to change over training procedures for his stables in Pukekohe, with the disqualification period finishing on May 22 next year.
New Zealand Harness Racing general manager Edward Rennell said Small's disqualification would start from November 23 and that a decision was reserved on hearing costs.
- NZPA
