Training partners Ciaron Maher and David Eustace have been fined $7500 by the Victorian Racing Tribunal after one of their horses returned a positive swab following a victory at Sale.
Piccatric won a maiden race on February 28 before returning a positive test for Furosemide, a diuretic.
Furosemide is permitted in racing but must not be in a horse’s system come race day.
Ciaron Maher Racing issued a statement on Twitter on Tuesday saying the VRT had taken into account the stable’s guilty plea and training history in issuing the fine.
“We accept the findings of the Victorian Racing Tribunal hearing,” the statement said.
“While the incident is regrettable, we are pleased that the tribunal has acknowledged the role of human error and the measures that have been implemented to prevent a reoccurrence.”
Piccatric was disqualified as the winner of the race at Sale and is eligible to race again in maiden company, having started just once since the Sale race, finishing unplaced in a race at Morphettville last month.
