Banned jockey Danny Nikolic continues to fight for his career and has lodged an appeal against a two year disqualification handed down by the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board earlier this week.
Nikolic was also hoping for a stay of proceedings to allow him to continue riding until his appeal is heard by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
The disqualification prohibits Nikolic from participating in any aspect of the racing industry and as well as not being allowed to ride in races, he is barred from riding trackwork, attending race meetings and visiting licenced racing premises.
Nikolic was found guilty on two misconduct charges arising out of an incident at the Seymour race meeting on September 4 when it was alleged that Nikolic had threatened Racing Victoria Chief Steward Terry Bailey.
“The language directed at Mr Bailey was not only grossly offensive to him, but worse, contained a sinister threat to his family. So much so that in the immediate aftermath Mr Bailey arranged security at his home for a week,” Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board chairman Brian Forrest said when in handing down the two year ban earlier this week.
“It is also imperative for the wellbeing of racing that participants can be confident that the stewards, as the persons responsible for the day-to-day control of racing, discharge their duties free of any risk of being compromised by the spectre of threats to themselves or their families.”
Nikolic has a history of misconduct charges against stewards in recent times and has had an ongoing battle with Bailey which erupted at Seymour last month.
Nikolic has been in the top echelon of Australian jockeys for the past ten years and his most recent success at the elite level have been with the smart mare Mosheen who collected three Group 1 victories last Autumn as well as the Group 1 $1m Crown Oaks (2500m) at Flemington last November.
The Robert Smerdon trained mare took out the $750,000 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on March 3 before going to Sydney to win the $500,000 Turnpoint Royal Randwick Guineas (1600m) at Randwick and the Group 1 $400,000 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill.
