Owner appeals six-month disqualification

Queensland racehorse owner and registered stablehand William Xanthopoulos will appeal a six-month disqualification for a breach of race day treatment rules.

She’s A Youeffoh was scratched from a race at the Gold Coast last month after stewards alleged Xanthopoulos intended to administer a substance called Gastrazone to the mare.

Trainer Les Kelly will also appeal a $5000 fine he received out of the same incident.

She’s A Youeffoh was the short-priced favourite for her race on October 3 when the RQ integrity unit conducted a random check of Kelly’s stable.

Xanthopoulos was found near She’s A Youeffoh and stewards allege he had intended give her Gastrazone, a commercially available dietary aid .

Stewards opened an inquiry and scratched She’s A Youeffoh.

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At a resumed inquiry Xanthopoulos pleaded not guilty to improper practice,.

He argued he had not administered the substance and would not have done so without the permission of Kelly, who was due at the stables later.

Xanthopolous said Kelly had made it clear to the inquiry he would never administer a substance on race day and therefore he (Xanthopolous) would have not given She’s A Youeffoh the Gastrazone on the day.

Stewards said they were comfortable in the finding Xanthopoulos had intended to administer the substance and disqualified him for six months.

Kelly, who also pleaded not guilty, told the inquiry he had no knowledge of Xanthopoulos’s actions on the day and had not asked him to administer the substance.

Stewards found Kelly’s supervision of his stables had been unsatisfactory and fined him $5000.

A QR Integrity Commission spokesperson said both men had applied for an internal review which would be be held soon. .