NZ HARNESS NEWS
Brosnan charged by RIU over positives
Ardmore trainer Richard Brosnan has been charged by the Racing Integrity Unit with three counts of presenting horses to race not free of prohibited substances.
The horses in question are Bopper Jet, Grenado and Our Petite Lady and all three returned post-race swabs with elevated levels of cobalt.
Two of the samples came from race wins; one by Our Petite Lady (September 22) and the other by Grenado (August 31).
Bopper Jet’s was also from a race on August 31, when he finished second to Jude’s Gem.
Purdon cops big fine for misjudgement
Junior driver Nathan Purdon was fined $750 by the Judicial Control Authority at Cambridge Raceway on Christmas Eve.
After driving the Graeme Rogerson-trained Flash Boy, Purdon admitted to diminishing the horse’s chances by driving him vigorously down the straight with a lap to run after miscounting the rounds for the 2700-metre journey.
Flash Boy finished sixth in the event which was run at a torrid pace and eventually won by Kaitlyn.
Pirongia Equalisator meeting cancelled
The annual Pirongia picnic meeting, held around a golf course near Hamilton, had to be cancelled on race morning yesterday (Boxing Day).
A lengthy dry spell followed by overnight rain meant the once-a-year circuit was too slippery for racing and it had to be abandoned.
For the first time this year it was a harness-only meeting after New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing withdrew the license for the galloping sector to hold their heats on the long-standing dual-code fixture.
Some 48 horses were down to start over nine races, including a monte trot and amateur drivers’ race.
- NZ Harness News
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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