Racing: Training brothers cop fine of $17,500

Training brothers Mike and Paul Moroney were yesterday fined $17,500 for a stable runner returning a positive to a prohibited substance.

The charge arose from Mae Jink returning a positive to the anti-inflammatory Indomethacin at Matamata races on December 23.

It was the second positive to the substance returned by stable runners in eight months.

At a hearing on January 26, Paul Moroney requested more time to prepare submissions on penalty.

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing officials recommended to the Judicial Control Authority at the time that in the case of Paul Moroney a period of suspension plus a substantial fine was appropriate.

A smaller fine was sought for Melbourne-based Mike Moroney.

At yesterday's Te Rapa hearing, JCA chairman Murray McKechnie and Richard Seabrook imposed a fine-only penalty.

In addition to the $17,500 fine for the brothers, the JCA imposed costs of $7500.

McKechnie said a written summation would be available by the middle of next week.

Paul Moroney told the hearing that he would not seek to renew his trainer's licence after the end of the current racing season at the end of July.

"This is nothing new," Moroney told the Weekend Herald last night.

"Since the end of the last racing season Mike and I agreed that I would step aside and we'd attempt to find the ideal replacement.

"We agreed that with the loss of a couple of key stable employees it was becoming increasingly difficult for me to continue to train and also at the same time operate my bloodstock business. I was becoming very stretched and a replacement was needed.

"Thomas Russell came on board on a trial basis when he left the Kelso stable, but after a while he decided he wasn't cut out for such a big stable as ours."

Paul Moroney will be joined on Monday by a new assistant trainer, Andrew Clarken, a former integral staff member for the stable's Australian arm. The 36-year-old was Ballymore Australian's original foreman when Mike Moroney set up stables across the Tasman, first in Adelaide, and became assistant trainer when Ballymore relocated to Melbourne in 1997.

Clarken was Mike Moroney's right-hand man during the halcyon years when the stable won the Victoria Derby (Second Coming), VATC One Thousand Guineas (Shizu), Blue Diamond Stakes (True Jewels) and produced a memorable first-third result with Brew and Second Coming in the 2000 Melbourne Cup.

The former successful jockey rode 92 winners during an apprenticeship and, after being attached to former Melbourne Cup-winning jockey John Letts, was headhunted for a private training position and left Ballymore after almost eight years at the end of 2002.

For the past five years, Clarken has been senior assistant trainer for successful Victorian trainer David Brideoake.

Clarken arrives in New Zealand tomorrow and will take over daily stable management on Monday. Paul Moroney will remain as managing trainer for the rest of this season to give him a thorough grounding in current training schedules and pass on his knowledge of the 90 horses of racing age on the Matamata stable's books.

Moroney will revert to the racing manager role he formerly held after his brother shifted fulltime to Melbourne in 1998.

Paul Moroney says the stable is confident it has Victoria Derby winner Monaco Consul back on track for today's $200,000 Darci Brahma Stakes at Te Rapa.

Monaco Consul finished 10th in the Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie on Boxing Day, pulling up with shoulder soreness.

"Everything has come to fruition for this race," said Moroney last night. "He's actually a much stronger horse now and he is free of the shoulder soreness that affected him at Ellerslie.

"We've obviously left a bit in him for his main assignment, which is obviously the Derby, but he's ready for a big race. We're not confident he will win, but he'll run very well and certainly better than on Boxing Day."

Jockeys premiership leader James McDonald rode five winners at New Plymouth yesterday.

McDonald saluted the judge in the first four races - on Miraflores, Miss Thorn, The General's Lady, Lemonade - and won later on the card with Tycoon.

The wins took his season tally to 97, 17 clear of Mark Du Plessis.

McDonald, who turned 18 last month, won the premiership last season. He is still an apprentice.

Three of his winning rides yesterday were for trainer Mark Walker, who now leads the trainers' premiership with 65 wins, 17 ahead of John Sargent.

- ADDITIONAL REPORTING: NZPA