Mick Gatto orders debt collector to stop using his name

Mick Gatto has put his mediation skills to the test ordering a debt collector he mentored to stop using his name.

Mick Gatto and Anthony Swords.

Arbitration and mediation heavyweight Mick Gatto has ordered “Australia’s most successful debt collector” to shut down Gatto Corporate Solutions.

The debt collection business is run by Anthony Swords, who is embroiled in a bitter dispute with Ultra Tune boss, Sean Buckley.

Swords, who worked for Buckley’s Ultra Thoroughbreds until quitting in December, is the managing director of Gatto Corp which trades off Gatto’s name.

Swords, a former bodyguard to the stars, regards Gatto as a mentor.

Anthony Swords Picture: Wayne Taylor

And he has used Gatto’s “brand” while promoting himself as “Australia’s most successful debt collector.”

Swords confirmed the split when contacted by the Herald Sun.

“It is what it is. I’m not going to make any comment,” he said.

The actions taken by Swords against Buckley this year have rankled Gatto.

Swords has gone to police about Buckley and in a separate matter given intelligence to Racing Victoria about Ultra Thoroughbreds.

In the first instance, Swords handed Victoria Police a recording, made by Buckley’s girlfriend, which allegedly depicts domestic violence as well as a threat to kill another party.

Buckley has taken Supreme Court action against his former partner, Jennifer Cruz Cole, and Swords to stop the release of the recording.

Ultra Tune owner Sean Buckley and then girlfriend Jennifer Cruz Cole.

Swords also went to Racing Victoria investigators to tip them off to an alleged embryo transfer breeding program involving top former racing mares Miss Andretti and Strikeline.

The information resulted in Racing Victoria stewards launching a probe and visiting Ultra Thoroughbreds Kilmore training facility on Friday.

Surrogate breeding is not illegal, but Thoroughbred racing’s breeding rules require racing foals to be conceived and born naturally.

Swords has alleged the embryos of Miss Andretti and Strikeline were transferred to surrogate mares to carry to birth.

Thoroughbred race horses must be bred naturally if they are registered to race. But if they do not race no such restrictions applies.

Buckley says the foals were bred to be “polo ponies”.

He argues his foals were not registered in the Australian Stud Book.

But the split between Buckley and Swords is more personal.

Although it involves disagreements over work, central to their fight is the breakdown of their relationships with their partners.