By MICHAEL GUERIN
Champion trainer Mark Purdon has been cleared of any wrongdoing after a Harness Racing New Zealand investigation into a pre-race blood test returned by one of his stable.
Neither Purdon nor Auckland Cup-winning trainer Andrew Neal will be charged following investigations into irregular blood bicarbonate levels returned by members of their teams at Cambridge last season.
The lengthy investigations found neither horseman had a case to answer.
For Purdon, who was not even at the meeting when pacer Soky's Boy returned the test, the decision is a weight off his shoulders as he chases his second consecutive trainers' premiership.
And for Cambridge-based Neal, the ruling caps the greatest month of his training career.
In the past four weeks Neal has trained Flight South to win the Auckland Cup at 107-1, and trained six winners at the two-day Kapiti Coast meeting.
HRNZ is still investigating the irregular pre-race blood results returned by Yulestar before last month's Auckland Cup.
He was allowed to race in the Cup because his second test results were not available by the start.
His irregularity is believed to have been caused by a recurring blood complaint. Charges against trainer Lorraine Nolan appear unlikely, with a decision expected before the end of the month.
Racing: Ruling relief for trainers
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