Gai Waterhouse has described the More Joyous inquiry as embarrassing to her family and to racing.
The leading trainer became embroiled in a public stoush with the mare’s owner John Singleton after the failure of More Joyous in last month’s All Aged Stakes.
Singleton, the owner of More Joyous, sacked Waterhouse as the mare’s trainer in a post-race television interview after the mare ran second last in the All Aged Stakes on April 27 at Randwick.
He also accused her bookmaker son Tom Waterhouse of revealing inside information to his Network Nine rugby league commentator Andrew Johns that the mare could not win, sparking the inquiry.
“The whole hearing is unfair. I have been treated like a third-rate person and my family has been dragged through the mud, through the mire.
“All these people who have been to the inquiry have had to sit next to the major player and have been inhibited by Mr Singleton.
“It is shoddy and embarrassing to racing.”
She said the unprecedented publicity had even reached as far as the Queen for whom Waterhouse trains Carlton House.
“Even the Queen says to her racing manager ‘what is going on with Gai Waterhouse in Australia’,” Waterhouse said.
At a previous chapter of the inquiry, Singleton was fined $15,000 for his public tirade and Tom Waterhouse was cleared of any wrongdoing.
She presented a statement which stewards said contained evidence she did not give at the original raceday hearing.
“Thanks to Mr Singleton I couldn’t think straight,” she said.
“I was so agitated. He was crazed. He was a crazy person.”
The trainer told the inquiry, in her professional opinion there was no reason not to run More Joyous and any issues the horse had were minor.
