Trainer banned for a year and fined after cracking pal’s nose with headbutt and pushing two others in stable scuffle

AN Aussie trainer has been banned for a year after breaking someone’s nose with a headbutt.

Ricky Vale copped a 12-month suspension and a £1,100 fine after a scuffle at a track in Queensland.

The incident involving Ricky Vale occurred in Australia earlier this month

The trainer’s stables are based at Rockhampton racecourse, 370 miles north of Brisbane, where the fight took place on June 10.

Stewards this week found him guilty on four charges, for which he will serve a suspension from July 1.

The incident in question occurred two weeks ago when Vale became involved in a heated argument with three racecourse employees.

Vale, who has trained over 250 winners, broke one of their noses with a headbutt and pushed the other two.

He was also found to have verbally threatened a race track employee.

Racing Queensland stewards deemed the verbals threats to be the most serious offence of the lot, resulting in his 12-month disqualification.

Vale was given a four-month DQ for the headbutt, while he was issued with two separate fines for pushing employees.

Stewards had initially felt a six-month ban for the headbutt was suitable, but they decided to lower it to four months as they believed Vale was provoked.

The incident came just weeks after Vale was reprimanded for a heated argument with jockey Nathan Day.

The pair exchanged insults in a flare-up after a big meeting was called off at Rockhampton in May.

It is not the first time Vale been in trouble with the Australian racing authorities.

Three of his horses tested positive for the banned, performance-enhancing drug cobalt in 2016.

He was banned for 12 months and fined £2,730.

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