Two harness drivers fail booze tests before race meeting
One of New Zealand’s top harness racing drivers is one of two facing charges after failing prerace alcohol tests at a Canterbury race meeting.
Blair Orange and Bob Butt were breathalysed and found to be over the permitted limit at a meeting of the Banks Peninsula Trotting Club at Motukarara Raceway, near Christchurch, on January 24.
Drivers must test under
100 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath to comply with harness racing rules.
In New Zealand, the alcohol limit for motor vehicle drivers aged 20 years and over is
250mcg of alcohol per litre of breath and the blood alcohol limit is
50 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood.
The test results have not been disclosed.
Orange was scheduled to drive in seven races and Butt, who is also a trainer, in two. They were stood down and other drivers took their places for the races.
The Racing Integrity Unit has filed charges against the drivers with the Judicial Control Authority (JCA) and is expected to hear the charges in about a week.
Orange hung up when he was approached for comment. Butt did not respond to messages.
Orange is one of the country’s foremost harness racing drivers and in a 25-year career has driven more than 2100 winners, with the wins collecting more than $25 million in prizemoney.
Butt has driven 49 winners and garnered about $500,000 in prizemoney.
The alleged breaches are a bad start to the harness racing year after last year was plagued with a series of scandals.
Canterbury trainer Mitchell Kerr handed in his training licence in November last year over allegations of fraudulent behaviour regarding horses he trained.
He is facing charges laid by the Racing Integrity Unit, with a hearing expected next month.
Nigel McGrath, another promising driver and trainer, was banned from harness racing for eight years last year after an incident in which he was allegedly caught doping a horse.