CHAMPION trainer Peter Moody's immediate fate will be determined on the first day of the Albury Gold Cup carnival on Thursday where he has horses engaged.
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The Victorian Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board cleared him of the most serious cobalt charge in a long-running case on Wednesday.
Moody has dodged a minimum three-year disqualification, but the RAD board did find him guilty of the secondary administration charge which doesn't carry mandatory penalties which could have been career-threatening.
Whether a suspension and or fine is imposed on Moody won't be known until the RAD board delivers its punishment at 2.15pm on Thursday.
Moody has runners engaged in the two feature races at Albury on Thursday and are expected to compete.
But there is some doubt on his Friday starters including two Gold Cup contenders, Radical and Koroibete, and if scratched, the field will be further reduced to less than 10 runners.
Sydney-based form analyst Chris Scholtz said all plans were up in the air until Thursday afternoon.
"He could immediately lodge an appeal and get a stay of proceedings," Scholtz said.
"But if it came into effect immediately there would have to be arrangements made for the horses to be transferred to someone else.
"But in these cases they could say you've got seven days to transfer your horses.
"It is very problematical whether his runners on Friday will run.
"It is all up in the air until it is all handed down.
"We are only guessing at this point in time."
Moody was found guilty of administering cobalt to imported galloper Lidari in the 2014 Turnbull Stakes.
But the more serious charge, of administering cobalt to affect the performance of a horse in a race, was dismissed.
"I feel vindicated we have never cheated and never had to cheat," Moody said.
"We've been a highly successful racing stable.
"Undoubtedly some of our practices have been called into question and probably right so.
"It is something I need to address.
"Maybe I had been too successful for too long for my own good and hadn't looked at rectifying practices within my stable which ultimately wouldn't allowed this to happen."
Moody has close ties to Albury with trainer Brett Cavanough pre-training many of the leading trainer's horses.
Cavanough also accompanied Moody to Royal Ascot when his champion sprinter Black Caviar scored a famous win in 2012.
Moody has had a second placing in the Albury Cup with Davidoff and a third with King Diamond.