Social media slurs cost Brisbane trainer Will Hulbert $1000 after successful appeal

Hulbert was on Wednesday told by a Victorian Racing Tribunal panel that his use of offensive language on Hulbert Racing’s X account was “understandable but not excusable” after Lady Of Five, which he trains in partnership with his father Peter, was scratched from a Caulfield meeting on January 24.

At the time, Hulbert was stuck in heavy traffic on Melbourne’s Monash Freeway after a series of crashes caused by eight teenage boys, who fled the scene.

It meant he wasn’t able to get from Pakenham to Caulfield in time for Lady Of Five to race in the $250,000 Group 3 Blue Diamond Preview (1000m).

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Hulbert initially pleaded not guilty to a charge of using language detrimental to the image and integrity of racing, labelling the $2000 fine an “absolute joke”.

He changed his plea to guilty at a recent directions hearing but said he would appeal the “excessive” penalty.

The tribunal on Wednesday ordered that Hulbert’s fine be reduced to $1000.

“The tribunal accepts that to train a horse for a particular race involving three months’ preparation, time and effort, the expenses are significant,” tribunal chairman Peter Reardon said.

“Then to have it blown up in your face, it may be an understandable reaction but it is not excusable.

“The tribunal is of the view that Mr Hulbert has hopefully learnt his lesson and will contain himself in the future if unanticipated problems arise, which in the racing industry is unfortunately bound to happen.

“There are many hard-luck stories in the racing industry however the tribunal expects participants to conduct themselves appropriately in public.”

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Racing Victoria chief steward Rob Montgomery told the hearing that several factors were taken into account when imposing the $2000 fine, including Hulbert’s “complete lack of remorse”.

Montgomery said Hulbert was still debating the meaning of the word “retard” when stewards held their inquiry two days after Lady Of Five was scratched.

“The Hayes stable also had a runner (La Gitana) that was scratched on the day but they didn’t jump on social media and disrespect people. They copped it on the chin,” he said.

“It’s really important that we need general deterrents for these kinds of actions to protect the horse racing industry.

“If Mr Hulbert had pleaded guilty and shown us some remorse, we would’ve reduced the penalty, but he didn’t.

“I think $2000 is a fair penalty and one that needs to send a message to the racing public that we’re not going to tolerate this kind of behaviour.”

As a precedent in imposing the penalty, RV stewards used a case involving prominent Victorian trainer Peter Moody, who was fined $2000 for launching an expletive-laden outburst at the Western Australian government, including then premier Mark McGowan, about their tough border restrictions during Covid in 2021.

But lawyer Corey Cullen, representing Hulbert, argued: “I mean the greatest respect to Peter Moody, he’s obviously a stalwart of Australian racing … but it’s much more serious in that it was an expletive-laden swipe at the Western Australia premier,” he said.

Cullen said “there was an absence of any evidence that anyone was impacted or damaged” by Hulbert’s controversial social media posts, which he described as a “one-off incident”.

Originally published as Social media slurs cost Brisbane trainer Will Hulbert $1000 after successful appeal