Rugby league great Andrew Johns has told a Racing NSW inquiry he can’t recall precisely what he told brothel owner Eddie Hayson about racehorse More Joyous after drinking beer at a football match.
Johns told the inquiry on Monday he was certain bookmaker Tom Waterhouse did not tell him More Joyous was “off”, but he couldn’t remember exactly what he told Hayson at the match, the night before the mare finished second last in the All Aged Stakes.
The inquiry was set up on raceday immediately after More Joyous’s owner John Singleton claimed trainer Gai Waterhouse had revealed to her bookmaker son that the horse had problems and Tom had allegedly told Johns.
Johns said he had apologised to Singleton for possibly exaggerating when he spoke to Hayson after drinking four to six beers at the football.
After their conversation, Hayson had told Singleton he had heard More Joyous was not fit.
Johns told the inquiry, “I repeated the conversation which I had with Tom, but I cannot be certain of what I said … I can swear on my life what Tom said to me, but I cannot be certain the way I worded it to Eddie Hayson,” he said.
“That’s where it’s confusing to me … I was having several conversations … several friends with me … I cannot be certain how I worded the conversation [that] myself and Tom had.
“I’m not certain what I said to Mr Hayson at the rugby league on Friday night and then the Chinese whispers, as it’s been reported, has gone from there,” he said.
“I’m incredibly sorry … I was devastated that somehow I’ve inadvertently caused the drama that went on, that is still going on 16 days after the event.”
Singleton told the inquiry Johns had approached him after the race to say he might have misspoken in his conversation with Mr Hayson.
“Andrew volunteered to me that, ‘Mate, I know on Friday I had a few beers and to be really straight with you, I’m not sure if I embellished it,'” Singleton said.
Referring to his use of the word “off” on the Nine network program The Footy Show the following day, Johns told the inquiry, “Tom never spoke about the health of the horse, he never mentioned the word `off’ … I fumbled my words.”
