The inquiry into race mare’s More Joyous’ poor performance in the Group 1 $400,000 Yarraman Park All Aged Stakes (1400m) at Randwick last Saturday and the subsequent verbal altercation between owner John Singleton and trainer Gai Waterhouse will reconvene next Monday.
More Joyous, the centre of the Gai Waterhouse - John Singleton tiff winning on of her 8 Group 1 wins. Photo by Steve Hart.
Racing New South Wales chief steward Ray Murrihy had originally set down this coming Friday as the date for the inquiry to continue, but because a number of stewards will be required at the Wagga Cup meeting as well as a huge amount of data and information has to be collected, it has been pushed back until after the weekend.
“It’ll take place on Monday at 11am with all relevant parties being able to make it at that time,” Racing New South Wales steward Greg Rudolph said.
Singleton confronted Waterhouse before the race and wanted to know why he hadn’t been told that More Joyous had been suffering from an injury while others had knowledge that his great mare had been treated leading up to Saturday’s race.
The high profile owner also claimed that her bookmaker son Tom Waterhouse knew and had passed that information onto some of his friends.
On live TV after More Joyous finished a fading seventh to glamour three year old All Too Hard in the All Aged Stakes, Singleton said that all his horses that were being trained by Waterhouse would be removed from her stables with More Joyous going directly to Singleton’s Strawberry Hill Stud from Randwick.
“It is not fair as people back my horses – there is too much conflict of interest,” Singleton said after the race.
Tom Waterhouse, who is threatening to sue Singleton for defamation, has also been summons to attend the inquiry along with Gai Waterhouse and the prominent business man.
“This is wrong, completely wrong. I am going to see my lawyers about defamation,” Tom Waterhouse said.
“I never said to anyone that the horse had any treatment or anything wrong with it at all.”
“I never said to anyone that the horse has any set back or any injury and I don’t like it because of that.
“If anyone does not think Mum is out there trying to win every time, they don’t know her.”
“I feel upset for mum. No one works harder or puts more into the horses or wants to give more to racing than mum.”
Gai Waterhouse admitted to stewards on Saturday after the race that More Joyous has been treated for a minor neck injury following Thursday morning track work, but had been passed fit to start by her stable vet Dr Leane Begg and Singleton’s vet Dr John Peatfield on Saturday morning.
But Waterhouse had failed to inform stewards of the setback prior to the race , which she should have under the rules of racing and Singleton claims he only heard of the problem via friends before he arrived at the races.
