Back from the dead: trainer banned after 'euthanised' horse is found alive

A trainer and his wife have appealed against their three-month suspensions after racing officials in Australia found they had falsely claimed a horse had been put down when he was in fact alive and being cared for at an alternative property.

Trainer Kym Afford and wife Sonia Afford were found guilty of providing false or misleading evidence about the welfare of one of their horses after telling stewards Interflora Express had been euthanised and buried following injuries sustained in the stalls prior to a race at Kilcoy, 60 miles north-west of Brisbane, on January 4.

However, on January 7 officials from the Queensland Integrity Racing Commission located Interflora Express, who has sustained a fractured right eye socket at the races, alive and being cared for at a different property.

At an inquiry hearing this week, the Affords pleaded guilty to breaching rule AR 232 (I), which reads: “A person must not give any evidence at an interview, investigation, inquiry, hearing and/or appeal which is false or misleading.”

Both were handed three-month bans, due to end on April 22, with a statement from the inquiry reading: “The stewards when assessing an appropriate penalty considered the serious nature of the offences that occurred and the need for both a specific deterrent to Mr and Mrs Afford and a general deterrent to the wider industry to reiterate that any false and/or misleading evidence, particularly regarding animal welfare, will attract a significant penalty as it undermines the integrity of racing which is critical for the proper conduct and administration of the industry.”

According to the Australian Associated Press, a Queensland Racing Integrity Commission spokesperson confirmed the Affords had sought an internal review of the penalty.

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