Trainer’s appeal deferred
TASMANIAN trainer Barry Campbell will be forced to ponder his future for another month after South Australian stewards yesterday deferred his appeal against guilty findings over race day treatments involving his star stayer Eastender in Adelaide earlier this year.
Eastender was sensationally withdrawn by stewards from the Adelaide Cup on the morning of the race on March 11 as a result of a stewards’ inspection of the property where the Tasmanian gelding was stabled before the race.
Campbell pleaded guilty to one charge and not guilty to two others relating to the incident that involved the trainer allegedly using a syringe and needle to administer a substance to the horse on race day.
The most serious charge was that of wilfully trying to corrupt the outcome of a race for which the trainer was disqualified for five years but reduced to three years before sentence. Campbell received 12-month sentences for the other two charges, but all penalties were allowed to be served concurrently which meant Campbell was disqualified, overall, for three years.
The trainer immediately lodged his appeal against the two guilty findings and he also appealed the severity of the penalty for the charge to which he pleaded guilty.
The first hearing date of Campbell’s appeal was set down for early last month but was deferred by stewards. SA stewards engaged legal counsel, but owing to circumstances that have not been explained by the stewards or the SA Appeals Board, the matter cannot be heard until August 29-30.
It appears the transcript of more than 400 pages requires more time than expected from the stewards’ legal counsel, while Campbell’s legal representative Paul O’Sullivan is believed to have had his client’s case prepared and ready to be defended yesterday.
Also disqualified over the incident was Campbell’s longserving stable foreman Tania Coward.
Coward was outed for 12 months for holding the horse.
Campbell, his legal counsel and SA chief thoroughbred steward Johan Petzer were unavailable for comment.