‘Brosnan Affair’ to be reopened

Press, 14 July 1982, Page 37

‘Brosnan Affair’ to be reopened

' Special correspondent Invercargill Determined not to let the matter rest, and anxious to see justice done, Mr Peter Mackenzie, the Gore-based stipendary steward, is to take further action in the much-aired “Brosnan Affair.” An application and supporting affadavit relating to the case is. to be filed in the Christchurch High Court in the next few days. Brosnan was found guilty of careless driving in two incidents in the same race at the Forbury Park Trotting Club’s Festival Cup meeting last January at which Mr Mackenzie was the chairman. of the stipendary stewards. For each breach, Brosnan was suspended for two weeks, seemingly preventing him from driving Bonnie’s Chance in the Auckland Trot-

ting Cup. In the case of the second incident, he was actually suspended for a period two weeks further on from the termination of the first period.

Brosnan indicated he wanted- to appeal on the night of the incidents but was told by the secretary of the club that the prermissible’period for him to do so had lapsed.

Brosnan then asked for the matter to be reviewed by the executive committee of the Trotting Conference which had jurisdiction for penalties no greater than two weeks. It was then purported that the two periods of suspension were for, one two week period only and that the conference executive did, in fact, have jurisdiction and, in effect, reduced Brosnan’s period of suspension to only a two week one.

Technically, the two

periods of suspension were condensed into a concurrent one, enabling Brosnan to drive Bonnie’s Chance in the Auckland Trotting Cup. Mr Mackenzie then appealed to an appeal committe which ruled that he had no right to do so. The matter then appeared to rest, but Mr Mackenzie says he will pursue the matter to the very end; His Gore solicitor, Mr K. J. Phillips, yesterday released a statement on the matter, which read: “We understood there was going to be a remit tabled to the conference of dub delegates in Dunedin this week amending the Rule as to the powers of the stipdendiary stewards to impose cumulative penalties. “To our knowledge, that is not included’ in the remits and, accordingly, we are filing an application for review

of the executive committee’s decision when it interpreted it as two weeks only and we feel the members had no right to hear the matter which was outside of their jurisdictional limits. “The relevant application and supporting affadavit, which will be filed in the Christchurch High Court in the next few days might seem belated, but we were awaiting publication of remits relevant to the matter.” While to many the “Brosnan Affair” might have seemed to have ended, it has continued to be a topic and talking point of major importance and Mr Mackenzie has certainly not lacked for supporters, among them several leading professional horsemen and club administrators who feel Brosnan was eventually leniently treated and Mr Mackenzie somewhat hard done by.