On Thursday morning, Bryce Stanaway was disqualified by the Victorian Racing Tribunal (VRT) for three years in relation to multiple misconduct charges dating back to October 2020.
The Torquay-based trainer was outed for the manner in which he spoke to stewards, a raceday vet and a barrier attendant, although Stanaway insists that those actions only occurred as he was trying to ensure the welfare of his injured horse, Moorabool.
During the penalty hearing, the Tribunal was handed written submissions and heard statements from both Racing Victoria and Stanaway's legal counsel.
Although the three-year penalty might seem hefty for those alleged actions, Justin Hooper, who spoke on behalf of the stewards, was pushing for a five-year suspension.
“The stewards submit that the offending is so serious that Mr Stanaway should serve no less than a three-year disqualification for his conduct at that race meeting, in respect of each of those charges,” Hooper said.
“The stewards submit that the offending is so serious that Mr Stanaway should serve a two-year disqualification for the conduct at his stables.
“Those periods should be served cumulatively for the reasons set out in the submissions, they relate to separate incidents and separate conduct.
“Ultimately the stewards submit that the Tribunal should disqualify Mr Stanaway for at least five years.
“Mr Stanaway, as an experienced trainer of that length of time (40 years), should've had a very good understanding of his privileges and responsibilities as a licensed trainer.
“Mr Stanaway should know better.
“There is no reliable evidence before this Tribunal that this manner of explosive conduct and inability to listen to those in authority will not happen again.”
The three-person panel is expected to release a full and complete summary of the penalty as well as the reasoning behind the decision within the next week.
Stanaway's only winner in 171 starters this season came recently, when Special Privilege stormed home from last to cause a boilover as a +6000 outsider at Yarra Valley on January 16 in a 1968m Benchmark 58.
The horse trainer's best wins came from the ever-consistent stayer Crafty Cruiser, who landed two Listed victories in 2013 and 2015.