Additional money raised at a function to support trainer John O’Shea will be split between two racing families who are doing it tough.
The families of injured jockey Kristy Banks and late trainer Pat Quinn will share the $115,000 raised above the $175,000 target.
The event was staged in Sydney on Tuesday night to raise money to help O’Shea’s family following a recent Court Of Appeal ruling against him which ordered him to pay a former client around $500,000 for not disclosing the extent of a horse’s problems at the time of purchase.
The target amount was the shortfall between the coverage O’Shea received under the old insurance policy and the coverage he would have received under the current policy.
“This was never an exercise in trying to solve all John’s problems, we merely wanted to fill the insurance gap he fell through,” NSW Trainers’ Association chief executive Steve McMahon said.
“John didn’t want any publicity about the decision to support the Banks and Quinn families with the excess funds raised however it is important for the racing industry at large to know that the outstanding support witnessed at last night’s function has benefited these most worthy causes.”
More than 150 people attended the night, which was jointly staged by bloodstock company Inglis and the NSW Trainers’ Association.
Popular trainer Quinn suffered a heart attack and died after he was pinned against a rail by a horse in the pre-race stalls at Canterbury in August 2009.
Banks was badly hurt in a race fall at Toowoomba on New Year’s Eve and is unlikely to walk again. She will need ongoing rehabilitation and care.
