Currie Senior strikes a deal to downgrade ban
MARK Currie has had his two-year disqualification reduced to a fine and a wholly suspended suspension after a plea deal was brokered with the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission yesterday.
Currie had appealed the guilty finding of multiple charges against him last May, which resulted in the two-year disqualification.
Yesterday, Currie pleaded guilty to two race day administration charges, which emanated from CCTV footage of him administering a substance, said to be Boost Paste, to horses in his son Ben’s stable in March last year.
Currie was suspended for 12 months on each charge, wholly suspended for 12 months and fined $7500. A restriction has been placed on his licence for three months; whereby he can only train a maximum of 40 horses, but none formerly trained by Currie Racing, except those owned by Donna or Mark Currie. Racing Integrity Commissioner Ross Barnett said the Commission was unable to make key witnesses available due to ongoing health issues and it was decided to end the matter swiftly.
“In these circumstances I
considered that an indeterminate further lengthy delay in these proceedings was not in the interests of racing and a negotiated settlement was appropriate,” he said.
At the expiry of the threemonth period, the transfer of any horses will be at the discretion of the Stewards.
Meanwhile, Currie’s son Ben yesterday failed in his first bid to have the Supreme Court lift Racing Queensland’s invoking of AR55 to refuse his nominations.
Racing Queensland released a statement last night confirming the court dismissed Currie’s application.