A horse racing trainer in Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia, has been disqualified after verbally abusing a racing steward during an inspection. Garry Lunn, a successful trainer with over 500 wins, including 100 at the Dubbo racecourse, faced disciplinary action after an incident with steward Xavier Dalton.
During a routine stable audit, discrepancies in stable return records were noted by officials from RacingNSW. When Dalton returned for a follow-up inspection, Lunn became hostile and directed inappropriate and offensive remarks towards him, as per a RacingNSW inquiry. Lunn was accused of using profanity and insulting language, labeling Dalton as the “dopiest steward” and questioning his competence.
The situation escalated when Lunn followed Dalton out of the stable, continuing his verbal assault even after Dalton tried to leave. Lunn was charged with obstructing Dalton from performing his duties and behaving improperly towards him. Despite denying the charges, Lunn was found guilty and received a three-month disqualification for one offense and a nine-month disqualification for the other, to be served concurrently from November 14, 2025, to August 14, 2026.