The trainer had originally faced a two-year suspension for a case of alleged cruelty while breaking a yearling. Lawyer Jean-Marc MacKenzie said the complaints against Beaton were “highly exaggerated.”

by Melissa Keith

On Wednesday (Feb. 14), the Ontario Horse Racing Appeals Panel (HRAP) released its lengthy decision to reinstate trainer Anthony Beaton.

His lawyer, Jean-Marc MacKenzie, told HRU via text on Thursday (Feb. 15) that it was more than merely a victory for the trainer.

“We are pleased with the issuance of the ruling that Anthony was immediately and fully reinstated as a trainer; undoubtedly the best outcome, allowing him to promptly resume his work,” MacKenzie said. “They obviously can’t give back what he lost. The dismissal of the AGCO’s (Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario) cruelty charges against Anthony is not merely a victory; it’s a validation of the absence of any evidence supporting those allegations. The panel’s ruling emphatically underscores Anthony’s standing as a highly-successful standardbred trainer, portraying him as a professional of unwavering good character and exceptional horsemanship.”

The case dates back to Oct. 12, 2023, when anonymous texts were submitted to AGCO judge David Stewart concerning Beaton’s actions towards Wait In The Truck, a colt the trainer was breaking at Classy Lane Training Center in Puslinch, ON. All Beaton trainees were subsequently scratched right before the Oct. 13, 2023 races at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Beaton was immediately suspended for “using force causing injury to a horse and compromising equine safety and/or welfare.”

On Dec. 28, the HRAP had rejected the Waterdown, ON trainer’s request for a stay, on the grounds that allowing it would be “damaging to the public confidence in the administration of justice” in cases concerning equine welfare.

On Jan. 19, Beaton’s appeal hearing began. It concluded on Feb. 1, after unusually-lengthy proceedings remarked upon by HRAP chair Stanley Sadinsky: “Counsel have given us a mountain of evidence to go over. We’ve heard from 22 witnesses; 19 exhibits have been filed. I think this is day 10 of the hearing, and… my suspicion is that we are close to a thousand pages of transcript.”

Beaton himself testified on Jan. 24. He had worked for trainer Casie Coleman “for 10-plus years” before leaving to start his own stable in late 2016. He stated that he had never had a positive test, nor any “behavior or conduct issues.”

In Feb. 1 closing statements, MacKenzie described “highly-exaggerated complaints” made against the trainer, who was alleged to have abused Wait In The Truck with a training whip when the colt repeatedly went down in a busy area at Classy Lane on Oct. 12. MacKenzie asked the panel to dismiss the charges against his client, on the grounds that evidence did not support allegations that Beaton had acted maliciously and/or harmed the horse.

“This was a training incident where they [Beaton and his barn staff] tried to respond appropriately,” MacKenzie said.

MacKenzie argued that the AGCO’s imposition of a two-year suspension was “clearly unjustified” because there were “no physical injuries to the horse” and no cruel intentions. He said that observers who reported Beaton did not know what was actually happening, nor were they aware that whip marks visible in photos “were gone the next day” when a veterinarian examined the colt.

“A photo’s not necessarily a photo if you don’t understand the context of the situation,” MacKenzie said.

In his final remarks, MacKenzie asked that his client’s training license be immediately reinstated.

“Mr. Beaton has already served 111 days for what took place that day… which has gone well beyond the cases of actual cruelty that have been found by this panel,” he said.

He also said Beaton had “suffered financial harm” and lost opportunities for himself and his stable when his trainees were scratched from Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Super Finals and he was personally unable to participate in the 2023 Breeders Crown.

Counsel for the registrar Faye Kidman argued in support of a two-year suspension of Beaton’s license. She pointed out that “there are no maximum or minimum penalty guidelines for the [specific] violations,” and recommended that Beaton serve the suspension concurrently for cruelty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of racing.

Kidman added that Beaton’s “fairly clean regulatory history” served as a “mitigating factor” against recommending more severe penalties, while noting that Beaton’s actions toward Wait In The Truck went “to the very heart of regulating and sustaining horse racing.” She cited AGCO senior manager of racing adjudication Tyler Durand, who testified as a policy witness that “cruelty towards horses is seen as very serious misconduct… on par or more serious than positive tests” and negatively affecting “social license in standardbred racing.”

Kidman stressed that public and government support for racing hinge on the perception of proportional punishment for rule violations, which has changed in recent times.

“We are living in a different social environment now than 10 or 20 years ago,” she said, noting the general need for “significant deference to animal welfare, with stronger penalties than have been previously imposed.”

She said a two-year suspension was an “appropriate penalty” for Beaton from the registrar’s perspective, but also introduced the suggestion to “increase this penalty further, to serve the purposes of specific and general deterrence, and to denounce this conduct” and “vindicate against the culture of intimidation for speaking up in the racing industry.”

The two themes came up repeatedly throughout the hearing: What are acceptable practices in breaking standardbred yearlings, today? And under what circumstances is it appropriate to report a situation to regulators?

Coleman, Beaton’s former employer and co-owner of horses under his care, told the panel that the case against him created shockwaves across the harness racing industry.

“Everybody in the horse business was basically talking about it,” Coleman said. “Nothing like this has ever really happened, that I can recall, ever in our business.”

MacKenzie told HRU, “We were also pleased by the Panel’s clear messaging to the AGCO on the need to conduct their own investigation when faced with anonymous complaints. This admonition gains particular significance in this instance, where the complaints were revealed to be grossly exaggerated and moreover the AGCO possessed this knowledge when they still opted to immediately suspend Anthony and scratch his horses in the OSS Super Finals. The panel’s poignant question, ‘We are puzzled why they (AGCO) scratched the horses,’ serves as a powerful call for transparency and accountability in their decision-making process. This scrutiny is imperative, considering the profound repercussions not only on Anthony, but on his employees, owners, and the entire industry.”

MacKenzie confirmed there is no fine imposed on Beaton, nor any conditions on his AGCO training license.

“When they issued the ruling at 1:23 p.m. yesterday [Feb. 14], he was fully reinstated,” said MacKenzie.

At the 2023 O’Brien Awards banquet on Feb. 3, Legendary Hanover was named Canada’s 2-year-old male pacer of the year. He was trained by Beaton until last Oct. 13.