Ben Currie loses positive swab appeal
Trainer Ben Currie (right) has had an appeal against a positive swab conviction rejected.
Toowoomba trainer Ben Currie is facing a $5000 fine on a positive swab charge after losing an appeal in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
The charge is not related to 31 other charges recently brought against Currie which have also been the subject of a QCAT hearing in the past week.
In December 2016, Currie faced stewards after a post-race urine sample taken from Party Till Dawn when she won at Toowoomba on July 16 that year was found to contain a prohibited substance (methamphetamine).
Stewards charged him and Currie was found guilty of presenting a horse to race with a prohibited substance in its system and fined $9000.
In a statement released on Monday, the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission said an internal review confirmed the original decision and penalty, but Currie appealed both at QCAT.
QRIC said in a judgment QCAT then confirmed the stewards’ guilty verdict but altered the fine to $5000.
Currie has the option of now appealing the QCAT decision.
He is currently training on a stay awaiting an internal review of a QRIC decision to refuse his nominations and acceptances.
Currie is also expected to face a reconvened stewards inquiry later this month to answer the 31 charges which mainly relate to alleged race day treatments.
He has pleaded not guilty to those charges and indicated he will defend them all.