An extra penalty for Zahra
Star jockey Mark Zahra has been hit with an extra month suspension for giving false and/or misleading evidence to stewards during the Mornington Airbnb gathering probe.
The sanction will be served after his three-month suspension for attending the house party on August 25.
In a double blow for Zahra, the Victorian Racing Tribunal on Tuesday unanimously dismissed his appeal on the severity of the initial spring carnival-ending ban.
Zahra will not be able to ride in races until late December as a result of the bans.
Judge John Bowman said Zahra’s “noncompliance” of Racing Victoria Covid regulations had the potential to “bring undone all the good work and sacrifices gone before”.
On the separate charge of giving false or misleading evidence to stewards, Judge Bowman imposed a two-month ban.
It is to be served cumulatively to the Covid-19 breach penalty.
Four weeks of the additional ban has been suspended for a period of two years.