A stable hand has been fined $500 for urinating in a horse urinal at Hobart’s Elwick Racecourse.
Michael Guthrie pleaded guilty to unseemly behaviour under Tasmanian racing rules over the incident on June 21.
According to a Tasracing Integrity Unit decision, Guthrie was collecting a saddle from the weighing area when a swabbing steward saw him walking towards the horse urinal.
Guthrie put the saddle down, entered the stall and moved into a corner while undoing his trousers, the decision said.
The steward approached and asked whether he had urinated in the stall. Guthrie admitted that he had.
The decision does not explain why he used the horse urinal.
The stall is used to collect urine samples for drug testing, with the decision noting “the heightened risk of contamination that may occur from an action such as this”.
Stewards also cited “the potential damage to the image of racing and the need to maintain public confidence in the integrity standards of the industry”.
The decision said Guthrie had previously breached the same rule in May 2025.
Because a 24-month condition attached to that penalty had been breached, stewards activated a suspended $500 portion of the earlier fine.
