Controversial trainer Geoff Small is staring down one more battle with harness racing officials.
The South Auckland horseman is set to face two charges in Victoria relating to the positive swab returned by his pacer Zenad after winning at Moonee Valley in February last year.
Zenad returned a positive to
the anti-bleeding agent aminocaproic acid after winning a support race at last year's Hunter Cup meeting.
The case has been in limbo, but the result of a Tasmanian appeal last week, which was dismissed, has paved the way for HRV to progress its case against Small.
HRV's head of integrity Brant Dunshea said two charges had been issued against Small: one for presenting Zenad to race with a prohibited substance in the horse's system and another for administering the substance.
"We've just recently changed our system over here, so Mr Small's case, because of its serious nature, will go straight to the new Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board to be heard," Dunshea said.
The charges come just when it looked as though Small had finally ended his long-running battles with harness racing authorities.
He has faced a series of charges over the past four years, the most famous relating to his driving in a Sales Series race at Alexandra Park in which he was widely accused of team-driving to enable stable star Changeover to win.
Small pleaded guilty to a raft of lesser charges at a prolonged Judicial Control Authority hearing 18 months ago and was suspended from driving and fined.
But he soon found himself in trouble again on both sides of the Tasman, after Changeover returned a positive swab in Sydney and Small was charged over his behaviour after the same horse was late scratched in a race at Addington.
He has been able to avoid his training licence being suspended or disqualified, instead paying out large amounts in fines while he has got off several charges on technicalities.
Small, as has been the case throughout his troubles, will not comment publicly on his planned defence but his past history would suggest he will fight the HRV charges.
No date has yet been set for the Victorian hearings.
For all his troubles, Small has remained one of our elite trainers, sitting third on the national trainer's premiership while last season his stable won more than $2.4 million.
