Five trainers named in ‘doping’ inquiry
A GROUP of trainers faces bans from all Australian courses over alleged systematic doping after one of the biggest probes in racing history.
Five trainers, including Brisbane-based Liam Birchley, and three stable employees have been charged with 271 counts following a dramatic sting in the Flemington stalls as super mare Winx was claiming her 21st consecutive win in the Turnbull Stakes last October.
It’s alleged that the trainers – all linked to the highprofile Aquanita Racing organisation – would dope horses with sodium bicarbonate through tubes inserted in their nose before races, giving them an illegal edge.
The charges came after a mammoth investigation into seven years of alleged doping.
Melbourne trainer Robert Smerdon is the most highprofile of the accused licensees.
Fellow Group 1-winning horsemen Tony Vasil and Stuart Webb, as well as Birchley, have also been charged.
Birchley has vowed to fight the charges.
“Basically I haven’t seen the brief yet, so I can’t really comment,” the Eagle Farmbased Birchley said. “But I’ll be defending the charges.” Smerdon faces 115 counts of “practice that was dishonest, corrupt or fraudulent, improper or dishonourable, in that he was a party to the administration of alkalinising agents and/or medication to a horse or horses on race day”.
Smerdon, Vasil, Webb and Birchley have existing or previous links to Aquanita Racing, a management company that provides administrative services to individual stables.
Birchley has been charged with being a party to the raceday treatment of a horse or horses on November 3, 2011, November 6, 2012, and November 3, 2015.
Melbourne Racing Club chairman Mike Symons is a director of Aquanita Racing. There is no suggestion he is under suspicion for any wrongdoing.
Stablehand Greg Nelligan faces 123 counts, most of them involving alleged doping. His wife Denise faces 13.
Vasil faces seven counts, banned Mornington trainer Trent Penutto four, Webb and Birchley three and stablehand Danny Garland two.
All charges stem from a wideranging inquiry into the alleged attempted treatment of Smerdon’s mare Lovani at Flemington on October 7.
Racing Victoria integrity staff allege Greg Nelligan was seen using a plunger containing a paste on Lovani after taking her into an enclosed stalling box at Flemington.