According to press reports the current harness racing enquiry has turned nasty with one of the trainers involved Dean Atkinson claiming he has received threatening phone calls.
He asked that the hearing be held behind closed doors. NSW Harness Integrity Officer Reid Saunders who is the prosecutor also revealed he had received threatening phone calls and said the evidence would be of a very serious nature and he would have no objection to the media and public being refused entry to the hearing.
Trainer Dean Atkinson has pleaded guilty to giving steward Matthew Bentley cash to refrain from drug testing his horse Reluctant Dancer at Penrith on May 12 and at Menangle on May 17. The horse won both races. (Steward Bentley resigned his position on August 8 and to date has not been charged or called before any investigation)
The panel hearing the charges consists of Racing NSW Chief Steward Ray Murrihy, former Racing Victoria Steward Des Gleeson and Justice Wayne Halen.
Trainer Atkinson said he was worried about the safety of his wife and children, as well as himself, as he felt he could be labelled the “snitch “ in the current doping, bribing and race fixing claims that have made the headlines over recent weeks.
Trainer Greg Sarina has also appeared before the panel, charged with giving false evidence over telephone calls to another Steward, Paul O’Toole, who also resigned his position on August 8.
According to press reports trainer Sarina claimed he did know the person who owned the telephone yet it’s alleged he made 70 phone calls to the number over a 12-month period.
We suspect there will be many more headlines in the months to come.
It would appear the Waterhouse camp was extremely reluctant to support a protest after the Magic Millions by Tommy Berry on favourite Driefontein against stablemate No Looking Back ridden by Nash Rawiller.
Much has been made about the conference caught on camera between the two jockeys and Gai Waterhouse, and Berry’s initial answer “Probably not “ to chief steward Wade Birch’s question - did he wish to protest. (By the way Gai was quite entitled to speak to her jockeys.)
There is no doubt the steward would have entered his own protest. as he was reported in the press as saying .“At the very least the interference deserved to be heard in an open hearing.”
The stewards have an obligation to all parties. be they owners, trainers or punters no matter what the circumstances.
Had it been a mid-week race and horses from different stables would there have been a protest? Bet your bottom dollar there would have been.
Two Blokes in a pub. First Bloke: “The missus left me last week. Said she was going out for a bottle of milk and never came back.”
Second Bloke: “ How are you coping?”
First Bloke: “Not bad I’m using that powdered stuff.”
The Waterhouse stable may have run the Quinella in the Magic Millions but insiders from the stable are adamant her other top two year-old Raceway would piggy back the pair to the turn and still beat them.
By More Than Ready out of the Flying Spur mare Claws he was ultra-impressive at Warwick Farm doing plenty of things wrong mid-race but bolted away in the straight running a time just outside the track record.
Don’t like recommending one of Waterhouse’s horses as she declares all of them champions and consequently they are always under the odds but this one is very good. Will go to Melbourne for the Blue Diamond and should it handle the reverse way of going will be very hard to beat.
(The Sydney smarties are saying Peter Snowden,s best baby is a neddy named Epaulette. )
What better way to celebrate an Australia Day afternoon than having a beer and a bet followed by a bit of music into the evening. See you at the races at Gunsynd Park.
“Wives are pretty clever.” Rather Rotund Resident of Baker Street informed drinking partner.
“We were having a terrible argument last night. It went on and on. Then she said, ‘Tell me Dear. Do you want to win or do you want to be happy?’”
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