The More Joyous saga is set to continue in the Supreme Court after the Racing Appeals Tribunal upheld an appeal by trainer Gai Waterhouse against fines imposed on her by Racing New South Wales stewards.
More Joyous was at the centre of Waterhouse getting fined by NSW stewards. Photo by Steve Hart.
Racing New South Wales intends to appeal todays’ decision to the Supreme Court after Waterhouse was successful in getting a $5000 fine and a $2000 fine overturned.
Racing NSW stewards had fined the leading trainer for failing to notify them of More Joyous’ condition leading up to the running of the Group 1 $400,000 Inglis Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill and the Group 1 $400,000 Yarraman Park All Aged Stakes (1400m) at Randwick during last year’s Sydney Autumn Carnival.
Stewards charged Waterhouse for failing to inform them that More Joyous had been suffering some soreness prior to both races but Waterhouse claimed that the minor ailments would not have affect her performances.
Racing NSW Chief Executive Mr V’landys was very disappointed with today’s decision, and will lead the charge to overturn it to protect the punters in the future.
“Racing New South Wales is naturally disappointed in the decisions of the Racing Appeals Tribunal which provide no protection for the punters,” V’landys said.
“The confidence of the public, and particularly punters, is critical to the integrity of the industry.
“The requirement to report a condition under AR140(a) is fundamental to the proper regulation of racing on a day-to-day basis.
“The public is entitled to be aware of all matters that may affect the performance of a horse.”
Racing NSW released a statement saying that it intended to appeal the decisions to the Supreme Court on the basis that they are against the weight of evidence and that the Racing Appeals Tribunal has incorrectly applied the relevant test.
The More Joyous inquiry began when Waterhouse and long-time stable supporter and prominent owner John Singleton clashed in the mounting yard before the running of the All Aged Stakes with Singleton claiming that other parties knew that More Joyous, the second favourite for the weight for age race, had problems before he was informed.
Singleton subsequently removed all of his horses from Waterhouse’s Randwick stables, including eight times Group 1 winner More Joyous.
