How undercover Racing Victoria staff laid a trap around the stall of Lovani
MOST eyes, but not all, were glued to Winx as the champion mare paraded before the Turnbull Stakes. Out of sight, a group of undercover operatives also had a bay mare in their sights.
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MOST eyes, but not all, were glued to Winx as the champion mare paraded before the Turnbull Stakes on a balmy October afternoon at Flemington.
A frisson of excitement passed through the larger than normal crowd at Headquarters as Australia’s best horse cantered towards the barriers.
Out of sight, a small group of undercover operatives from Racing Victoria’s compliance assurance team also had a bay mare in their sights — and it wasn’t Winx.
Acting on information, six integrity staff members were dotted around Flemington’s sprawling race-day stalls area.
They were on high alert, waiting for Robert Smerdon’s galloper Lovani to arrive.
A trap had been laid and, right on cue, Lovani was led into an enclosed staling box, a horse urinal.
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The man leading the horse was Greg Nelligan, one of Smerdon’s most trusted lieutenants.
Hidden from view was a plunger allegedly containing a paste made up of sodium bicarbonate.
As Nelligan walked Lovani into the box and closed its doors at 3.08pm, he was being watched by the entire compliance team.
Every other eyeball at Flemington was on Winx. Her date with destiny was seven minutes away.
Nelligan and Smerdon’s was even closer, even allowing for the three months of legal cross-checking that led to 270 charges being laid on Tuesday.
Sodium bicarbonate (also known as a milkshake) works best as close as possible to the race.
It smothers lactic acid, boosting stamina.
Under upgraded integrity measures, Turnbull Stakes day marked the first meeting horses had to be on course three hours — not two — before racing,
Lovani arrived within the three hour deadline. She was due to race at 5.45pm.
Nelligan allegedly knew the drill better than most. After all, stewards allege he has been party to more than 100 counts of alleged illegal race-day treatment over seven years.
He is allegedly expert in the dark art of cheating.
Flemington looked no different to Nelligan as he closed the staling box.
He fished out the modified syringe and, as he was about to plunge the contents — known as a “top-up” — into Lovani, racing’s cops appeared.
The plunger was confiscated, Nelligan was escorted to the stewards’ room for a closed session.
Smerdon and others appeared soon after.
As Nelligan budged at giving evidence, his phone rang — and some of the names appearing on the mobile screen were instantly recognised by stewards.
The rat they already had started to smell even more.
It soon became obvious Nelligan’s phone was a potential source of information.
It was more than that. It was paydirt.
Lovani was scratched, triggering a long investigative process.
on Tuesday, 94 days after Flemington hummed to contrasting tunes — Winx’s glories and Smerdon’s miseries — Racing Victoria dropped a bombshell.
For most in the industry, it came not a minute too soon.
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