Banned Canterbury harness driver to pay costs

Prominent Canterbury harness racing driver and trainer Nigel McGrath has been ordered to pay more than $9000 in costs after being banned for eight years.

McGrath, who was banned from the industry after pleading guilty to three serious racing offences, has been ordered to pay $7143 to industry watchdog the Racing Integrity Unit and $2000 to statutory body the Judicial Control Authority.

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McGrath was charged with attempting to administer a prohibited substance to a horse, refusing to make a statement on the matter, and obstructing racecourse investigators.

The charges arose after the RIU raided McGrath’s West Melton property in March, hours before two of his horses – Steel The Show and Could Nine – were due to race at Addington.

Located in the shed were McGrath, stablehand Robert Burrows, Steel The Show and a backpack containing tubing gear, including a coiled rubber hose, a plastic funnel, a twitch and an empty 800ml plastic drink bottle containing residue.

McGrath refused to answer questions about the tubing gear and would not hand over the equipment, which has still not been recovered by the RIU.