Racing: Jockey Danny Nikolic says authorities have turned his three-year ban into a life sentence

BARRED jockey Danny Nikolic says authorities are turning a three-year ban into a life sentence. SHOULD AUTHORITIES LET HIM BACK IN THE SADDLE? HAVE YOUR SAY

Flemington Races, Race 6 Strapper Naina Kermarrec leads Danny Nikolic back to the mounting yard after winning on Mosheen in the Crown Oaks.

BARRED jockey Danny Nikolic says authorities are turning a three-year ban into a life sentence.

The 41-year-old former high-flyer has reignited his push to regain his jockey licence — his appeal against Racing Victoria’s refusal to licence him will be heard by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal in April.

He is fighting a separate battle in the Supreme Court that he must win before he can ride again.

Nikolic won a Supreme Court bid last October for Victoria Police to lift an exclusion order which banned him from the state’s racetracks. He is fighting a new exclusion order slapped on him by police the following month.

Nikolic was disqualified for two years for threatening chief steward Terry Bailey at Seymour races in September 2012 and later suspended for one year for threatening steward Wade Hadley at a VCAT hearing.

A racing tribunal accepted Bailey’s evidence that Nikolic had told him: “We’ve all got families, c---, and we know where yours live.”

Although his bans expired in September last year, RV rejected his application to ride again, ruling he was not a fit and proper person to ride in races.

Nikolic said this week that attempts to regain his licence had been stonewalled by RV and requests to speak with its integrity department had been denied.

“I don’t know of any other jockey who has had to deal this way through lawyers,” he told the Herald Sun.

A winner of more than 1000 races, including 41 Group 1 victories, Nikolic said he had served his time and deserved another chance.

Jockey Danny Nikolic is keeping fit while waiting to return to racing. Picture: David Caird

“I have never felt better — mind and body,” Nikolic said.

“And I have a really good break and I’m concentrating on really having a good crack at it when I get my licence back again.

“I am really surprised that this has gone on for so long because I really thought I would be relicensed but I have just been continually frustrated with the red tape that has been put in front of me and the best way I can cut through these roadblocks is through lawyers.”

Nikolic, who estimates he has spent about $200,000 in legal fees, said he was required to present submissions to show why he should be allowed to ride again and then fronted a three person panel at Racing Victoria.

He said while jockeys had been disqualified for actions that affected the outcome of races and then been relicensed, his offence related to a “one-on-one” with the head steward.

“I was found guilty of (breaching) a Rule of Racing and I spoke very poorly to the head steward but now I’ve done the time and I’m still sitting on the sidelines,” Nikolic said.

“If you’d asked me before I got rubbed out, I would have said I’ll probably be retired at 40, but now having a decent break away from the game with my mind and body, I’d say I’ve definitely got a good five years left.

“I have the support of a lot of people in the industry — trainers and jockeys.”

Nikolic said he could ride under Bailey’s authority but he would avoid one-on-one conversations with him.

Nikolic said his eight year-old daughter Hilary, who lives with his former wife, is starting to ask questions about his disqualification.

Danny Nikolic and trainer Robert Smerdon after Nikolic rode Mosheen to victory in the Crown Oaks in 2012.

“And it’s something I want to rectify and I want to go out on my own terms and do something for me,” he said.

“Every time I pick up a paper or a magazine and there is a story about me, it’s always disgraced or controversial jockey, where five or 10 years ago, it was champion jockey and I find it very frustrating.

“I have things away in my personal life ... and have been convicted of assault, but they have been minor incidents in the scheme of things and it’s been blown right out of proportion.”

In response to questions from the Herald Sun, Racing Victoria last night released a statement: “Last year, the Racing Victoria board denied Mr Nikolic a jockey licence on the basis that it considered he was not a fit and proper person to ride in races.

“Mr Nikolic has applied to VCAT for review of that decision and a hearing date has been set for April. We will not provide commentary on Mr Nikolic’s licence application prior to that hearing.”

Originally published as Racing: Jockey Danny Nikolic says authorities have turned his three-year ban into a life sentence