Pakenham Trainer John Leek Jr Gets 3-Year Racing Ban for Race-Day Horse Tubing

Pakenham trainer John Leek Jr has been disqualified from racing for three years after the Victorian Racing Tribunal handed down its penalty on Monday morning. The tribunal found him guilty in May of stomach tubing The Storyteller in a horse float near Terang on July 24, 2025, while transporting the gelding to race at Warrnambool. Stomach tubing is banned on race day under Australian Rules of Racing, though it is common practice for daily horse maintenance.

What happened and how stewards caught him

Racing Victoria’s Compliance Assurance Team stewards intercepted Leek Jr while The Storyteller was being transported to Warrnambool to race later that day. Stewards found stomach-tubing equipment within “reaching distance” shortly after Leek Jr had applied a twitch to calm the gelding inside the float. Body-worn camera footage showed Leek Jr initially telling stewards he was “about to have a pee” in the float, then later saying a bottle of yellow liquid was “to tube the horse” containing vitamins and salts.

Why the tribunal rejected his not guilty plea

Leek Jr pleaded not guilty at the May Victorian Racing Tribunal hearing but was found guilty. The tribunal stated that “the matter of most significance is what we take to be clear admission by Mr Leek at the time, shortly after the offending took place.” His inconsistent statements to stewards and the presence of tubing equipment undermined his defence, despite his barrister Matthew Stirling arguing the offence lacked aggravating factors.

Stewards pushed for four years, tribunal settled on three

Racing Victoria stewards, represented by barrister Amara Hughes, pushed for a four-year disqualification, arguing Leek Jr’s prior offences and his not guilty plea warranted a stronger penalty. Ms Hughes told the tribunal that Leek Jr “created a web of various different excuses or, we say, lies” and that the offence “strikes at the heart of the industry.” She also cited the “inherently dangerous” nature of the treatment to The Storyteller’s welfare. The tribunal imposed three years instead of the four-year request or the 12-month minimum Stirling sought.

Property and livelihood at risk

The ban threatens Leek Jr’s career and living situation. Racing Victoria stewards also argued he should be barred from residing at his Nar Nar Goon North property, which has registered stables used by his wife Andrea. Stirling opposed this, arguing it would unfairly punish his wife. Andrea submitted statements to the tribunal saying she would not take advice or instructions from Leek Jr to allow him to remain at their property, but the tribunal’s final ruling on this aspect remains unclear from available reports. His property future remains in doubt pending clarification of the tribunal’s full decision.

Final Thoughts

The three-year ban effectively ends Leek Jr’s training career and raises questions about his ability to remain at his family property. The tribunal’s decision signals zero tolerance for race-day medical procedures that breach Australian Rules of Racing.

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