Plumptre fined, O’Shea guilty in strangles
Ex-Godolphin trainer John O’Shea will face a penalty hearing after being found guilty of giving false evidence in an investigation into a case of strangles in the stable and also not reporting it to stewards.
Former Godolphin Australia managing director Henry Plumptre was also found guilty of not reporting a diagnosis of strangles in the horse Polemic in August 2016 and fined 20,000.
Racing NSW stewards said on Thursday they took into account Plumptre’s standing in the industry, his guilty plea at the first available opportunity and his contrition and discounted the fine to $15,000.
Plumptre stood down from his position with Godolphin last month and said he was now looking to become a bloodstock agent.
O’Shea resigned his position in late April and has recently set up at Randwick as a public trainer.
He has been found guilty of being a party to Plumptre breaching the rule for not reporting the case as soon as possible after becoming aware Polemic was infected on August 4, 2016.
The second charge relates to giving false and/or misleading evidence to stewards at an interview on June 16 this year and a subsequent inquiry on June 26 regarding his knowledge Polemic had tested positive to the infectious respiratory disease.
Stewards said evidence submitted to the inquiry established there was an email group that included O’Shea, vets Trevor Robson and Graeme Adams and assistant trainer Paul Reid.
Robson told the inquiry O’Shea said not to inform stewards and to “vaccinate our best horses very early on”.
Emails established 40 vaccines were ordered by Godolphin Australia.
At the June 26 inquiry, O’Shea’s evidence was that he was never advised by Robson or any other person that Polemic had tested positive to strangles but he had received advice the three-year-old was displaying symptoms.
Racing NSW stewards have not yet set a date for a penalty hearing into the charges against O’Shea who has pleaded not guilty.