Nikolic, Bailey row flares

CONTROVERSIAL jockey Danny Nikolic has been banned indefinitely from riding after a heated run-in with Racing Victoria chief steward Terry Bailey at yesterday’s Seymour races.

The last two races were delayed a f t e r j o c k e y s c o n s i d e r e d a n impromptu strike in support of Nikolic, whose simmering relationship with Bailey again erupted.

Bailey has alleged Nikolic made threatening remarks to him near the stewards tower after the sixth race.

Nikolic has accused Bailey of ‘‘completely inventing’’ the story and that Bailey told jockeys Jason Benbow and Brad Rawiller that Nikolic had threatened his family.

Benbow and Rawiller declined to comment last night.

Nikolic alleged Bailey yesterday told him: ‘‘I told you a year ago I was going to f - - - your career.

‘‘He said the same thing to me a year and a half ago,’’ Nikolic said.

‘‘I just said: ‘Is this the best you can do’?’’

Bailey denied he made any such comment to Nikolic yesterday.

Bailey alleged Nikolic picked moment to threaten him.

‘‘He waited for me near the tower where I was one out,’’ Bailey said.

Nikolic, who is embroiled in two race-fixing probes, said he made a light-hearted comment to Bailey as he trotted past the steward on his way to the barriers for the fifth race.

‘‘I said ‘keep your eyes on the road Terry’, like the ad on TV, with Rhonda,’’ he said.

He said Bailey called him into the stewards’ room after the race to clarify what he had said.

‘‘I said it was a joke but he asked if

his it was a threat. I said, threatened by me Terry?’’

Nikolic said he had a further confrontation with Bailey before the sixth race, when Nikolic walked on to the track to assess it before he rode in the seventh race.

Nikolic said Bailey twice ordered him to the jockeys’ room and told him he had been stood down indefinitely.

Nikolic said he explained his version of events to his fellow riders who spoke to jockeys’ association chief executive Des O’Keeffe to ask if they should strike.

‘‘Are you O’Keeffe advised them to ride. ‘‘That’s not to be interpreted as a lack of support for Danny Nikolic; just that there are better ways to resolve these things,’’ O’Keeffe said.

Nikolic will assess his legal options today.

He said he was ‘‘fed up’’ with Bailey, whom he has alleged has a vendetta against him.

‘‘This is just ridiculous,’’ he said. ‘‘This bloke has stood me down for no reason. It’s a restraint of trade. There is no way this bloke should be head steward. He has taken my riding career away from me,’’ he said.