Aquanita eight found guilty of 271 charges relating to ‘topups’

AN alleged horsedoping ring known as the Aquanita eight was found guilty of 271 racing charges at a hearing in Melbourne yesterday.

The Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board handed down guilty verdicts to trainers Robert Smerdon, Stuart Webb, Tony Vasil, Trent Pennuto and Liam Birchley and stable employees Greg and Denise Nelligan and Daniel Garland.

The eight defendants, who have a link to the Aquanita racing group, were each charged over the raceday treatments of horses.

Trainer Robert Smerdon was labelled as ‘‘the most prominent and leading trainer of the group’’ by Judge John Bowman.

‘‘He, along with Gregory Nelligan, could be described as the driving force behind the illegal ‘topups’ conspiracy.’’

Uncovered text messages show the accused exchanging messages to organise topups for horses.

The prosecution argued topups referred to the illegal administration of bicarbonate products to horses on race day.

The defence claimed topups referred to topping up the horses’ feed and water.

That explanation was slammed by Judge John Bowman.

‘‘We do not accept his explanation when interviewed that a topup consisted of feed and water.

‘‘When all the text messages and their timing, particularly on race days, are examined, this is palpable nonsense.’’

During the hearing, footage from surveillance cameras showed Greg Nelligan treating Lovani, a horse trained by Smerdon at the time, at Flemington last October.

Judge Bowman told the hearing Greg Nelligan seemed ‘‘to have been the architect and to some extent the promoter of the topups scheme.

‘‘We are comfortably satisfied that Gregory Nelligan administered illegal topups to horses, almost always on race days, on 123 occasions over seven years and predominantly at metropolitan tracks.’’

Judge Bowman told the hearing Nelligan’s wife, Denise, was instrumental in blowing the whistle on the topup saga.

‘‘She told stewards the topups were not feed and water — a proposition that was never credible — but were ‘bicarb and tripart’.’’

The eight accused will learn their fate and whether they face life disqualifications from racing tomorrow after penalty submissions are made.

It is understood some of the accused have already indicated they will appeal their guilty verdicts.