Mark Riley relieved to have ban overturned

Mark Riley says he wants to get on with the job of training racehorses after having a three-year ban overturned by the Victorian Supreme Court.

“It’s been a very trying period for the last 14 months and I’m just pleased it’s all over,” Riley said.

“All I want to do now is just look forward to getting everything back into line where it should be and just training winners. That’s all I want to do.”

Racing officials disqualified Riley for three years after finding him guilty of administering bi-carb to Gold For Kev before a race in July last year.

Samples taken from Gold For Kev were analysed by two different laboratories, one found the concentration of TCO2 was above the allowable limit while a second found it was below.

“The result reported by one laboratory was that a prohibited substance was present in the blood in a concentration just above the maximum level, but that result had been rounded-up,” Justice Kevin Bell said on Thursday.

He said the rules did not permit a disqualification to be imposed on the basis of rounded-up test results.

“The scientific evidence was incapable of supporting a finding of guilt,” Justice Bell said.

Riley has been training under a stay of proceedings.

“It’s onward and upward. We just turn the page and go forward,” he said.

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