Racehorse owning judge stands down from Cropp case

Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias has stood down from hearing a Supreme Court case involving top jockey Lisa Cropp who has been engaged to ride one of the judge's horses.

Cropp will ride Resolution – part-owned by Dame Sian and her husband Hugh Fletcher – in a listed race at Matamata on Saturday and will likely be on the horse if it runs in the Auckland Cup next month.

Cropp tested positive for methamphetamine in a urine sample taken in a random test at a race meeting in Hamilton on May 7, 2005. She has been fighting a legal battle ever since.

A hearing by racing's Judicial Control Authority (JCA) was interrupted in February last year after her lawyers sought a judicial review through the court system to argue that the drug test was unlawful.

Justice Pamela Andrews dismissed Cropp's case against the judicial committee in the High Court and her decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal on September 27.

She then went to the Supreme Court, which late last year granted her leave to appeal.

Her case is due to be heard next month.

The Supreme Court today said Dame Sian had stood down from the case, but would not comment further.

- NZPA