A horse racing trainer in Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia, has been disqualified after verbally abusing a racing steward during an official inspection. Garry Lunn, a successful trainer with over 500 wins, including more than 100 at the Dubbo racecourse, faced repercussions for his behavior towards the steward.
The incident occurred when officials from RacingNSW conducted a stable audit at Lunn’s yard and discovered discrepancies in the stable return records. When the steward, Xavier Dalton, returned for a follow-up inspection the next month, Lunn became aggressive and hurled inappropriate and insulting remarks at him, as reported by a RacingNSW inquiry.
Lunn was accused of using offensive language, including calling the steward “the dopiest” and other derogatory terms. Despite Dalton’s decision to leave the premises, Lunn continued to follow him, verbally attacking him near his vehicle.
Subsequently, Lunn was charged with obstructing Dalton from performing his duties and engaging in improper conduct by directing aggressive and insulting language at him. Although Lunn denied the charges, he was found guilty and received a three-month disqualification for the first offense and a nine-month disqualification for the second, serving concurrently from November 14, 2025, to August 14, 2026.