OLDWHITEMAN Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/racing/300036885/prominent-harness-racing-trainer-nigel-mcgrath-admits-charges-but-denies-tubing-allegation McGrath has a long history of performance enhancing incidents. I think he should be banned from harness for good. Some will say that is too harsh but how many chances does McGrath deserve? Prominent harness racing trainer Nigel McGrath admits charges but denies 'tubing' allegation Mat Kermeen07:36, Jun 18 2020 JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF Nigel McGrath has pleaded guilty to three racing charges but denies an allegation that could see him banned for a decade. A high profile harness racing trainer has admitted three racing charges following a dramatic raid of his property, but claims he is innocent of an allegation that could see him banned for a decade. Canterbury-based Nigel McGrath has pleaded guilty to attempting to administer a prohibited substance on a raceday, refusing to supply information to a racecourse inspector and obstructing a racecourse inspector during an investigation. The dispute of facts and crux of the case surrounds the substance of what was or was about to be administered to the horse when the raid was undertaken on March 13 this year. McGrath has admitted breaking racing's "one clear day" rule - a charge of orally administering a horse with a legal substance (Air Support, a herbal product intended to aid a horse's respiratory function) within 24 hours of a race. But he has denied a more serious allegation of "tubing" a horse to administer sodium bicarbonate (regarded as a performance enhancing substance), laid by the Racing Integrity Unit (RIU). Tubing is a practice where a tube is inserted through a horse's nose into its oesophagus to administer a liquid substance. ADVERTISEMENT The RIU's case centres on a confronting video of the raid, taken by its investigators, that was played at a hearing at Addington raceway. JOSEPH JOHNSON/STUFF Racing Integrity Unit investigators staked out Nigel McGrath's property. Defence counsel Pip Hall, QC, argued for a monetary fine for the three charges McGrath has admitted to, while the RIU has sought a 10-year disqualification. McGrath's fate will be decided by a Judicial Control Authority (JCA) committee of Jane Lovell-Smith (chair) and Tangi Utikere in the coming weeks. "I ask for a further chance to prove I'm not a cheat as I've been portrayed," McGrath said when giving evidence. The hearing was told that RIU investigators, acting on an anonymous tip-off that McGrath was tubing horses with sodium bicarbonate shortly before taking them to the races, staked out a shed away from the main stabling area at his property near Rolleston. Three RIU investigators then confronted a startled McGrath and an associate Robert Burrows with a horse McGrath confirmed to be Steel The Show, who was due to race at Addington just three hours later. STUFF Nigel McGrath is a highly successful harness racing trainer. The investigators took possession of a backpack that contained tubing gear, a bag McGrath described as private as he repeatedly asked for it to be returned before snatching it back. No sodium bicarbonate was found, but RIU counsel Brian Dickey claimed investigators had caught McGrath "red-handed". No Air Support was found either, but McGrath claims he found the empty bottle of Air Support and the equipment used to administer it after investigators left his property. Dickey said it was "bordering on a fairytale" to suggest the items were present during the raid but not found by or drawn to the attention of the RIU investigators. McGrath said he didn't do that because he was in shock. RIU investigators said McGrath's demeanour was "aggressive and obstructive". He refused to answer questions. IAIN MCGREGOR/STUFF Nigel McGrath told the hearing he was extremely remorseful but not strongly denied the 'tubing' allegation. He was told not to make it worse during the raid. He appeared to answer, "it can't get any worse". McGrath agreed he was obstructive but denied he was abusive or aggressive. At the hearing, McGrath claimed he couldn't handle the raid that came on the back of the worst two years of his life following Operation Inca, a National Organised Crime Group investigation that was centred around allegations of race-fixing. He said he was overwhelmed and in shock. "It was like the world was caving in," McGrath told the hearing. Dickey put it to McGrath that the shock was because he had been caught as he was about to tube the horse, but McGrath said being caught breaking the one-clear-day rule was bad enough. He pointed out he invited investigators to "come back later" and initiated contact with the RIU the following day. He claimed he snatched the bag from the investigators because he didn't want the tubing gear tested; it would have shown traces of substances used lawfully in the weeks prior. McGrath says he made a stupid and spontaneous error of judgement to administer Air Support orally and did not plan to tube the horse. He claims he instructed Burrows to fetch the Air Support, and Burrows fetched the backpack because the Air Support was in it. When Burrows was interviewed during the raid, he told investigators he and McGrath were giving the horse "Air Supply". Hall said the RIU's claims the horse was about to be tubed were nothing more than "guesswork and speculation". Andrew Grierson, the veterinary advisor to the RIU, gave evidence that there was no way to know for sure what substance had been or was about to be administered without a sample. Hall claimed the prosecution had lost its sense of perspective when submitting for a 10-year disqualification. When giving evidence, McGrath said he was extremely remorseful. He strongly denied a claim from Dickey that he believed harness racing's rules didn't apply to him, having appeared before another JCA hearing two months earlier. McGrath was arrested on September 4, 2018 as part of the Operation Inca police raids, but his only charge was dropped in August 2019. The RIU subsequently laid a racing charge which saw him handed a six-month driving ban and ordered to pay costs of $11,500. McGrath has been barred from entering any racecourse since the March raid. He has also voluntarily handed in his trainer's licence and removed all racing horses from his property to show he was taking responsibility. But he intends to continue in the industry that he left school to join when he was just 15. Hall said it beggared belief McGrath and Burrows colluded to come up with a story of administering Air Support just in case they got caught. If Steel The Show had been impounded and swabbed by the RIU, the matter would have had a much simpler conclusion but the RIU did not proceed. McGrath said he was willing for the horse to be tested but Dickey argued that was a remarkable submission given he ordered the investigators off his property. McGrath claimed applying Air Support was not motivated by money, adding he would have only earned around $400 if Steel The Show had won that night and said the product helped boost recovery and was not performance-enhancing. Steal The Show and another McGrath trained horse Cloud Nine were scratched from their races on the night of the raid. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noodlum Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 I understand he has handed in his license. Not surprising given the harassment he has had from the RIU. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noodlum Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 Plus things don't add up in this article. Where was the bicarbonate and the herbal spray? He wasn't caught "red-handed" as he wasn't in the process of tubing and the equipment was in a bag. Makes one wonder also about the pre-race and post-race testing regime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunterthepunter Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 6 hours ago, Noodlum said: Plus things don't add up in this article. Where was the bicarbonate and the herbal spray? He wasn't caught "red-handed" as he wasn't in the process of tubing and the equipment was in a bag. Makes one wonder also about the pre-race and post-race testing regime. once again noodlum on the money so where was the bicarbonate if they where tubing a horse with it as Riu making up fantasies and who is Robert burrows well he is a Hereford stud breeder and and was not on the place so stuff news should stop posting made up bullshit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangatira Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 (edited) bucking billy getting a late mention Edited June 18, 2020 by Rangatira 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the galah Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, hunterthepunter said: once again noodlum on the money so where was the bicarbonate if they where tubing a horse with it as Riu making up fantasies and who is Robert burrows well he is a Hereford stud breeder and and was not on the place so stuff news should stop posting made up bullshit hereford breeder,bullshit. Stuff news stuffing it up. Nice play on words. Edited June 18, 2020 by the galah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom lady Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 On 18/06/2020 at 4:12 PM, hunterthepunter said: once again noodlum on the money so where was the bicarbonate if they where tubing a horse with it as Riu making up fantasies and who is Robert burrows well he is a Hereford stud breeder and and was not on the place so stuff news should stop posting made up bullshit It doesn't matter if they found bicarb or not. Nigel has admitted being a cheat. End of story. And why was Robert George there ? Let's face it he did learn from one of the best! Also wasn't his name mentioned in another positive swab that one of Nigel's neighbours got earlier this year? Also why does Robert George no longer work for that trainer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunterthepunter Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 6 minutes ago, Blossom lady said: It doesn't matter if they found bicarb or not. Nigel has admitted being a cheat. End of story. And why was Robert George there ? Let's face it he did learn from one of the best! Also wasn't his name mentioned in another positive swab that one of Nigel's neighbours got earlier this year? Also why does Robert George no longer work for that trainer? why don't you go to the media on that other stable that you have been bagging for ages you seem to have gone very quiet about that partnership Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ Flash Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 12 hours ago, Blossom lady said: And why was Robert George there ? Let's face it he did learn from one of the best! Is he the same person as ROBERT GEORGE McKAY BURROWS. If so a quick perusal of previous JCA cases produces some interesting info about his past Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom lady Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 21 hours ago, hunterthepunter said: why don't you go to the media on that other stable that you have been bagging for ages you seem to have gone very quiet about that partnership Is that the best you can do!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom lady Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 9 hours ago, JJ Flash said: Is he the same person as ROBERT GEORGE McKAY BURROWS. If so a quick perusal of previous JCA cases produces some interesting info about his past Greg Sure is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunterthepunter Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 2 minutes ago, Blossom lady said: Is that the best you can do!!! can't you do any better your( bettor than that ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newmarket Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 It is hard to feel sorry for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJ Flash Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 12 hours ago, Blossom lady said: Sure is So who was the former trainer he learnt part of his craft off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunterthepunter Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 5 hours ago, JJ Flash said: So who was the former trainer he learnt part of his craft off? hey farty where did you learn your craft from?? I here your a artist a bullshit artist 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mehe Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 1 hour ago, hunterthepunter said: hey farty where did you learn your craft from?? I here your a artist a bullshit artist What makes me laugh is that one of the people running down nigel her family was involved with blue magic 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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