Trainer pleads guilty in corruption case
HARNESS racing trainer Larry Eastman has pleaded guilty to five charges in a sensational race corruption case involving illegal stomach tubing of horses and associated gambling.
The case, which allegedly involves a network of harness industry identities, centres on the treatment and performance of three horses at Swan Hill, Charlton and Horsham in 2014.
Charge sheets showed the three horses — Cashisking, Waterslide and Dynamite Dick — all won after receiving illegal drenches.
Eastman, 60, appeared in the Bendigo Magistrate Court to answer the charges only a year after he was awarded Harness Racing Australia’s “meritorious award” for training excellence.
The case was adjourned until February 2 despite Eastman’s wishes to have the matter dealt with immediately.
It is understood the corruption was uncovered using telephone intercepts by Victoria Police’s Sport Integrity Intelligence Unit.
The plot was initially uncovered by Harness Racing Victoria officials. Court documents reveal Eastman “possessed corrupt conduct information namely the Nasogastric Intubation (stomach tubing/drenching) of Cashisking” ahead of its race at Swan Hill on December 2, 2014.
Eastman is alleged to have “encouraged Colin Moore and Neville Dewhurst to bet on the race on his behalf”.” Cashisking won at $8.50.
On December 8, 2014, Eastman is alleged to “corrupted the betting outcome” of a race at Charlton when he drenched Waterslide on race day “knowing the conduct would corrupt the betting outcome of the event.” Waterslide won at $2.50.
On the same day, after the race, Eastman is charged with encouraging trainer-driver Scott Dyer to inject Waterslide with potassium “in an effort to conceal” evidence of stomach tubing from authorities.
Eastman is also charged with possessing information “about conduct that corrupted the event” in that knew Waterslide had been drenched and “used this corrupt information to place a $200 bet on Waterslide with Bet365 to win”, obtaining a profit of $400.
A week later, Eastman is alleged to have known Dyna- mite Dick would be drenched before running at Horsham and used the “corrupt conduct information” to bet accordingly.
Documents show Eastman arranged for “associates Colin Moore and Otton Christensen to bet on his behalf.” Dynamite Dick won at $4.70.
Eastman has been involved in harness racing for 44 years.
He started training in 1975 but had to wait 40 years to win his first Group 1 in 2015 when Menin Gate won the Victoria and Queensland Derbies.
The same year, Eastman produced the winners of six Group 1 races.