BARNEY CURLEY, no stranger to controversy during his career, is back in trouble with the stewards. Curley was fined £1,400 for withdrawing a horse before the start of a race at Lingfield in a protest against the British Horseracing Board (BHB) handicapper Phil Judge.

The controversial trainer received the maximum penalty the stewards could impose after he was found to have shown a "wilful disregard to the interest of racegoers".

It is the fourth time he has been in breach of the same rule, having been fined following similar action at Nottingham in 1989, Ascot in 1990 and Fontwell in 1992.

His protest was prompted by the handicapper's decision to raise My Man In Dundalk by 5lb following the eight year old's last run in which he was pulled up. As a result he vowed not to run any more of his string and will bill the BHB for their training expenses, threatening legal action if his expenses are not met.

Curley was called before the stewards after he had ordered conditional jockey Leighton Aspell to dismount My Man In Dundalk in the paddock before the Warlingham Handicap Hurdle.

The horse, who was well backed to win a Hereford seller on his first start for two years in December, was 9 to 2 in the betting, resulting in a 15p in the pound deduction from winning bets.

Curley presented a statement to the panel which claimed that Judge was guilty of "handicapping the trainer not the horse".