The assistant trainer of Hong Kong conditioner Tony Cruz has been fined by the Hong Kong Jockey Club for flicking a 'buggy' whip in the direction of Pakistan Star
Cody Mo Wai-kit was fined HK$7500 for the breach under local trackwork regulations.
"I don't think anybody really understands just how bad the situation with this horse really is," Cruz told the South China Morning Post. "Cody was just acting out of instinct.
"He was flicking it around his legs. It was just to get him to go."
Pakistan Star gained a cult following on social media platforms last year with his last to first heroics but in June he pulled up in the early stages of a Group III race as the $1.20 favourite then did it again earlier this month in a barrier trial.
The five-year-old is currently under a stewards' ban.
After the October 3 trial performance, stewards ruled that Pakistan Star must undergo rigorous testing before having his embargo lifted, comprising two satisfactory track gallops along the back straight at Sha Tin and then if successful, take part in a further two barrier trials over 1600m.
The stewards' decision was made "in order to protect the interests of all parties concerned."
