Trainer Jason Warren charged as Baron Archer scandal deepens

TRAINER Jason Warren has been charged on two counts over the Baron Archer betting scandal.

Caulfield races. Race 7. Trainer Jason Warren after Ben Melham wins on Rhythm in Paris in the Dunlite Generators Cockram Stak...

JASON Warren has been charged on two counts over the Baron Archer betting scandal.

The trainer was formally charged on Wednesday by Racing Victoria stewards for failing to notify them of Baron Archer’s throat surgery before he resumed at Echuca on March 8, when a beaten favourite.

Warren also faces the serious charge of “providing false and misleading evidence” to stewards in the investigation into abnormal betting patterns around Baron Archer’s performance.

Ridden by Ben Melham, Baron Archer finished third in a five-horse field.

RV investigations revealed a huge amount of money was wagered through Betfair for Baron Archer to get beaten.

NEWS: NIKOLIC PROBE OVER $260K ‘LAY’ PUNT

RV stewards allege “Warren intentionally failed to report that his horse Baron Archer, who resumed in the race, had undergone throat surgery in or about October 2014 and that he had subsequently provided false and misleading evidence during the Stewards’ inquiry into the matter.”

Chief steward Terry Bailey said Warren was not under investigation for any betting activity.

Baron Archer underwent throat surgery in 2014.

The charges came amid revelations Danny Nikolic is under investigation for financing a betting account held in the name of his girlfriend that has outlaid massive sums laying horses (betting on them to lose).

Stewards have interviewed the woman, a recently departed employee of Aquanita Racing, after her account was highlighted among those that wagered a total of almost $260,000 on Baron Archer.

“We are interested in how that account is operated and funded,” RVL chief steward Terry Bailey said. “There are large sums of money involved for a girl on administrative money at Aquanita.”

She was a registered stablehand and office administrator at Aquanita until recently.

Bailey said investigations into the Baron Archer abnormal betting led stewards to look at other big bets from the account, which led them to races that involved wagers on Aquanita gallopers.

“As Danny Nikolic’s partner we wanted to know how that account was operated and funded. As a registered stablehand and an employee of Aquanita she was, under the rules of racing, forbidden to bet on runners from that stable,” Bailey said.

Danny Nikolic is under investigation for financing a betting account held in the name of his girlfriend that put massive amounts of money on horses to lose.

Bailey said investigations were “ongoing” but that initial charges “may be laid as early as the end of this week”.

He said stewards had “no issues with the ride” of Melham on Baron Archer but would continue investigations to determine “if he had any connection with the betting account.”

In a separate investigation, RV stewards have issued one charge against trainer Peter Gelagotis for the alleged raceday treatment of Axis Point on Tuesday.

Stewards allege “Gelagotis administered or caused to be administered orally BC5, a branch chain amino acid supplement, to Axis Point on 5 May 2015.”

Axis Point was a late scratching from the race by order of the stewards.

Both Warren and Gelagotis will appear before the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board on dates to be fixed.