Stablehand Outed After Diademe Inquiry
- Tuesday, 04 August 2015 09:15
Stablehand Glen Lobb has been disqualified for three months after being found guilty on four charges relating to the race day scratching of Diademe from the Group One Tattersall's Tiara.
However, Racing Queensland stewards did not take any action against Diademe's Sydney trainer Bjorn Baker on Tuesday saying they could not be satisfied he had committed any offence.
Inquiry chairman Ian Brown said tests taken from Diademe had not found any irregularity and bottles found near the horse also did not have any prohibited substances but were unregistered.
Trainer Bjorn Baker
Baker said he had a fair hearing and he was grateful for the way he was treated in a stressful time.
"Hopefully I can put this behind me and get on with training," Baker said.
Lobb, a harness racing trainer and registered stablehand with Baker pleaded guilty to being in possession of an unregistered substance.
However, he pleaded not guilty to conduct prejudicial to racing in that he was at a stable with a disqualified harness racing trainer Michael Kelly while in possession of an unregistered substance.
Lobb also pleaded not guilty to giving misleading evidence to an inquiry and to integrity officers.
Stewards found Lobb guilty of all four charges and he was fined $1000 on the possession charge, disqualified for one month on each misleading evidence charge and three months on the prejudicial behaviour charge.
The sentences are to be served concurrently.
Brown said the penalties were high, reflecting the incident had caused the scratching of a Group One runner.
Lobb said he intended to appeal the findings and penalty.
Diademe was withdrawn about an hour before the Group One Tattersall's Tiara at the Gold Coast on June 20.
Integrity officers visited the Gold Coast stables of Alicia Willick where Diademe was being housed and found five bottles containing liquid.
Four bottles labelled Kentucky Green were unopened and one unlabelled bottle was open.
Tuesday's inquiry heard the bottles did not contain any prohibited substance but did contain an unregistered treatment for horses who bled.
Lobb told the inquiry he had come to Queensland to watch Diademe run and had bought the bottles as a possible gift for Willick who he thought might be able to use them.
However, Willick told the hearing she did not treat her horses for bleeding.
Lobb said he had been picked up from the airport by a long time friend Kelly and Kelly's nephew.
He was aware that Kelly was a disqualified person and it was an oversight he allowed Kelly to follow him into the stables.
Baker said Diademe had no history of being a bleeder and had never been treated for it.
"The question has to be why would we treat her on race day? There is nothing to be gained. And also where and when we would have done it," Baker said.
