Trainer John McNair said he believed there was a vendetta against him after he was the centre of a stewards' inquiry at Randwick last Saturday into equipment confiscated from his horse float.
Stewards searched McNair's float when it arrived at the course from Gosford after being alerted that it had stopped on the freeway at Gore Hill on its way to Randwick.
McNair maintained he stopped to change fuel tanks and that he did not enter the back of the truck, which contained his horses Straight Proof and Ears' Ronny.
Stewards ordered both horses withdrawn from their races at Randwick and took blood and urine samples from them. The inquiry was adjourned until stewards receive the results of analysis of the samples.
After the adjournment McNair called a press conference, claiming "there is a vendetta against me and that has been evident from day one. I was fined $4000 for a first offence over the Ears' Ronny case and Mr (Bart) Cummings was fined $4000 recently for his third offence".
Ears' Ronny was stripped of second place in the 1999 Sydney Cup after a positive swab.
During Saturday's inquiry, conflicting evidence was taken from McNair, his wife Sue and stablehands Darryl Belbin and Scott Pedron.
Racing NSW chief executive Merv Hill yesterday described as "absurd" McNair's assertions that he was being "victimised" by chief steward Ray Murrihy and that there was a vendetta against him.
"I'm not prepared to stand idly by and see stewards unfairly abused," said Hill, who was standing nearby when McNair spoke to the press.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/05/25/1053801275969.html
Stewards searched McNair's float when it arrived at the course from Gosford after being alerted that it had stopped on the freeway at Gore Hill on its way to Randwick.
McNair maintained he stopped to change fuel tanks and that he did not enter the back of the truck, which contained his horses Straight Proof and Ears' Ronny.
Stewards ordered both horses withdrawn from their races at Randwick and took blood and urine samples from them. The inquiry was adjourned until stewards receive the results of analysis of the samples.
After the adjournment McNair called a press conference, claiming "there is a vendetta against me and that has been evident from day one. I was fined $4000 for a first offence over the Ears' Ronny case and Mr (Bart) Cummings was fined $4000 recently for his third offence".
Ears' Ronny was stripped of second place in the 1999 Sydney Cup after a positive swab.
During Saturday's inquiry, conflicting evidence was taken from McNair, his wife Sue and stablehands Darryl Belbin and Scott Pedron.
Racing NSW chief executive Merv Hill yesterday described as "absurd" McNair's assertions that he was being "victimised" by chief steward Ray Murrihy and that there was a vendetta against him.
"I'm not prepared to stand idly by and see stewards unfairly abused," said Hill, who was standing nearby when McNair spoke to the press.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/05/25/1053801275969.html
