Trainers found guilty in ‘biggest scandal in racing history’
Related Story: Stablehand caught on camera allegedly doping horse at Flemington
Five horse trainers and three stablehands have been found guilty of doping-related offences by Victoria's Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board, after an investigation into one of the biggest horseracing scandals in Australian history.
Trainers Stuart Webb, Tony Vasil, Trent Pennuto and Liam Birchley, and stablehand Daniel Garland had all pleaded not guilty.
Trainer Robert Smerdon reserved his plea, and stablehands Greg and Denise Nelligan entered "no contest" pleas.
Together, they faced 271 charges.
Who did what at Aquanita:
- Leading trainer Robert Smeardon was a "driving force" behind the scheme; administered "top-ups" and provided instructions
- The Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board (RAD) called Gregory Nelligan the "architect" and chief administer, who injected "almost always" on race days
- Nelligan's wife Denise Nelligan confessed but later tried to backtrack, RAD said. She relayed instructions and administered "top-ups"
- Trainer Tony Vasil was found guilty of requesting "top-ups" for his horses on race days via text message
- Trainer Stuart Webb was also implicated in text messages, advising and asking for "top-ups" to be given
- A driver at the stable, Daniel Garland, was found guilty of being complicit in the cover up and administering to horses
- Licensed trainer Trent Pennuto was acting as a foreman at the time and requested "top-ups" for horses under his care
- Registered as a visiting trainer, Liam Birchley worked for Aquanita and also independently. He requested "top-ups" for his horses
In its findings, the board described the case as "probably the biggest scandal and the most widespread investigation in the history of Australian racing".
"This was a long-running systematic conspiracy to try and obtain an unfair advantage in well over a hundred races over seven years," it said.
"There has been dishonest, corrupt or fraudulent, improper or dishonourable actions of the highest order."
Racing Victoria, through lawyer Jeff Gleeson QC, had previously told the board that the eight racing professionals were involved in "knowing, brazen and systematic" doping between 2010 and 2017.
The charges included administering horses with banned race-day treatments, including sodium bicarbonate, or "top-ups", over the seven-year period.
It can enhance performance by slowing the build-up of lactic acid, so horses can run longer without tiring.
Stablehand caught in box with syringe
Last month, the board saw footage of racing stewards confronting Nelligan as he was allegedly doping a Smerdon-trained horse at Flemington.
The video footage — which the board declined to publicly release — showed Nelligan in a box with the racehorse Lovani and a modified syringe plunger allegedly containing sodium bicarbonate paste concealed in a yellow plastic bag last October.
When officials asked him what he was doing, Nelligan could be heard saying "no-one else has got anything to do with it" and claiming the pink paste on Lovani's mouth and bit is "something I made up … it's a gel".
Mr Gleeson told the hearing Nelligan made a "forlorn attempt" to hide the plunger under his clothes.
Nelligan's phone was then seized by authorities, who used 1,000 text messages as evidence that pointed to the varying level of culpability of those involved.
Racing Victoria sends warning
Penalty submissions for the eight people found guilty — who all had links to the Aquanita Racing stable — will be heard on Thursday.
Racing Victoria's chief executive, Giles Thompson, said the guilty verdicts sent a "very strong signal" to the racing industry.
"It also is a ringing endorsement of the investigative work of our integrity services team who found these breaches and ran an exhaustive four-month investigation before laying charges against these eight people," he said.
"We are committed to ensuring that the very small minority who seek to breach the rules of racing and undermine our sport are found, investigated and ultimately prosecuted.
"That is what our participants, our customers and the wider public expect us to do."
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