Darwin trainer Garry Lefoe has received a six-month suspension following an incident at Fannie Bay last week.
Lefoe was issued with a Domestic Violence Order after assaulting Victorian jockey Mark Pegus, who is also a trainer, at a bar on March 30 following a race meeting at Pioneer Park during the Alice Springs Cup Carnival.
On June 25, Lefoe approached Pegus during track work at the Darwin Turf Club and verbally abused him.
Thoroughbred Racing NT Stewards held an inquiry following a complaint lodged by Pegus against Lefoe, where they conducted interviews and viewed CCTV footage.
Subsequently, Lefoe was found guilty on Monday and suspended for engaging in improper conduct.
Stewards had no option but to ban Lefoe, a former jockey who started his training career in 2016, following his initial confrontation with Pegus and other misdemeanours in Alice Springs.
Lefoe was outed after he was charged with two offences by NT Police on March 30 – the suspension was effective from April 9 pending the outcome of court proceedings.
On April 4, Stewards interviewed Lefoe in Alice Springs in relation to the events on March 30 before he provided a urine sample.
On May 8, an inquiry took place at the DTC, where Lefoe pleaded guilty after a banned substance – cannabis – was detected in his urine sample.
Lefoe had his license suspended for three months but was informed of the restrictions of the suspension.
Stewards would stay six weeks of the suspension on the condition that by June 20 he provided documentation that he had continued with counseling that he had commenced prior to the hearing.
On May 16, Lefoe appeared in Darwin Local Court and pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault and one count of possessing a quantity of cocaine.
A 12-month Community Correction Order was imposed with specific restrictions relating to the possession and consumption of alcohol and banned substances.
On May 21, Stewards convened for an inquiry at the DTC in regards to the March 30 incidents in Alice Springs.
Lefoe pleaded guilty to assaulting Pegus by punching him in the head on multiple occasions where first aid treatment was required.
Lefoe had his license suspended for three months, but Stewards decided to suspend the penalty for 12 months on the condition that there were no further breaches under the Australian Rules of Racing.
He was further advised that he was required to submit random alcohol and drug testing over the next 12 months at the direction of the Stewards.
On Saturday, Lefoe returned from suspension and had just the one runner when Canton Kid, who set the 1200m track record (1.07.09) on Darwin Cup Day last August and is a Palmerston Sprint (1200m) contender, saluted over 1000m (0-76).
He only has a small team, including Expert Witness, Rising Fire, Mighty Murt, and Darwin Cup aspirant Cormorant, but Lefoe was hoping to transfer his horses to rival stables by Wednesday.
In June 2022, Lefoe was banned for 15 months after a series of positive drug tests on his horses.
It is believed that he will appeal his current six-month suspension.
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