Danny O’Brien continues evidence at VCAT

Racing Victoria board member and now chairman, David Moodie, has been named as the person who told Peter Moody of fellow trainer Danny O’Brien’s cobalt positive, a hearing has heard.

O’Brien said he received a phone call from Peter Moody who the day before found out about his own high cobalt reading.

As RV stewards were at Mark Kavanagh’s stables in January last year informing him of his cobalt results, O’Brien received the call from Peter Moody.

The hearing heard Moody had rung to let O’Brien know of a similar rumour that he also had a high cobalt reading.

“I’ve since asked him where it came from. It came from (RV) Board member David Moodie who is now the Racing Victoria chairman,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien and fellow trainer Mark Kavanagh are appealing their respective four and three year cobalt disqualifications before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Earlier on Tuesday, O’Brien explained a bank transfer of $3000 to Dr Tom Brennan had come from his personal account.

At the earlier Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board hearing O’Brien was asked why it had taken him more than 24 hours to make the payment after first receiving a request from Brennan.

At the initial hearing O’Brien was not shown a complete set of phone records, but at Tuesday’s hearing was shown a call made from Brennan after which O’Brien made the payment.

O’Brien explained he had intended to pay the money to Brennan from his business account on the morning of November 19, but following the call from Brennan made an electronic transfer from his personal account at his home office that afternoon.

O’Brien has not transferred the $3000 payment back from his business account on the advice of his lawyers, who told him it might make it more controversial.

O’Brien said it was not uncommon for payments to be made from his personal account or credit card and reconciled from the business at a later date.