A Tasmanian racehorse trainer has been fined $2,000 after pleading guilty to animal cruelty for whipping a horse more than 40 times in four minutes. Liandra Gray was found guilty of causing unreasonable and unjustifiable pain to 7-year-old thoroughbred gelding The Bolt by striking him repeatedly with a padded racing whip.
Magistrate Evan Hughes handed down the fine in Devonport magistrates court on Wednesday, saying the court needed to demonstrate a general deterrent to breaches of the Tasmanian Animal Welfare Act. The maximum penalty under the act is an $18,000 fine and 12 months' prison.
CCTV footage from Spreyton racecourse showed Gray leading The Bolt into a sand roll and appearing to whip him while holding him by the bridle. The court heard the sound of the whip could be heard, though the footage did not show the whip making contact in all cases. Hughes found The Bolt would have suffered moderate to severe pain during the incident.
Gray told the court she was not angry at the horse and had gone to the sand roll to lunge him, but Hughes described her explanation as 'self-serving' and in conflict with expert witnesses. The court heard the offence was out of character for Gray, who was under considerable strain at the time, including financial stress and an acrimonious separation.
Hughes noted the 'unwanted media attention' the case had generated, saying it served as a form of punishment. The RSPCA had sought a ban on Gray training or owning animals, but Hughes said a fine only was appropriate given her lack of prior convictions under the act. In an unrelated incident, Gray was fined $4,000 in 2023 by the Tasmanian Office of Racing Integrity for mistreatment of a horse.
