Trainer Ben Currie gets temporary stay
Queensland’s leading trainer Ben Currie has been granted a temporary stay of a suspension allowing him to continue training for the time being.
In a complicated legal ruling, Currie was granted a stay until five days after an internal review of the decision on Monday by stewards to charge him with race day treatment offences.
Under Queensland legislation Currie is entitled to an internal review within 20 days of any suspension decision.
But the internal review might not be held before the charges against Currie are expected to be heard on June 18.
Friday’s stay follows a week-long legal process after Queensland Racing Integrity Commission stewards suspended Currie when they charged him with 31 offences related to race day treatments dating back two years.
Currie has pleaded not guilty.
He sought the stay of the suspension and after two adjournments the stay application was heard in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal on Friday.
At the resumed hearing Jim Murdoch QC argued not to grant Currie a stay would be a huge financial burden for the trainer and unfair since he had not been convicted of anything.
QRIC opposed the stay on the grounds the charges were serious and a matter of integrity.
QCAT member Joanne Browne found Currie could have a stay until five days after his internal review was heard and then finalised.
QRIC Commissioner Ross Barnett said the outcome was the decision of the independent umpire and Currie was now free to resume training for the time being.
“Mr Currie lodged an Internal Review application earlier this week and the Internal Reviewer has twenty business days to consider it,” he said.
Outside the hearing Murdoch said it was hard to put a timeline on a resolution of the case because he was yet to see particulars of the charges against Currie.
“We might want better particulars which means the actual hearting of the charges might be delayed,” he said.