Brent Stanley faces nine months on the sidelines after being disqualified over his actions in the sale of a horse to Hong Kong.
The Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board heard on Monday Stanley had told the owners of Equita that the two-year-old had been sold to Hong Kong for $200,000 in May last year.
In fact, the sale price was $290,000 with jockey Glyn Schofield, who acted as the agent, and Stanley each receiving $20,000 as commission.
On the trainer’s instructions, the remaining $250,000 was transferred from Schofield’s account to that of Stanley’s wife, after which $200,000 was transferred to Stanley’s Cloud 9 Thoroughbred account and the owners, who include Racing Victoria chairman David Moodie, were paid their shares from that amount.
A Caulfield Cup winning jockey aboard the Moodie-owned Arctic Scent in 1996, Stanley began his training career with one horse at Kyneton in 2012 and now has around 60 horses in work.
His counsel Phil Dunn told the RAD Board, Cloud 9 was under financial pressure and Stanley had made a wrong decision in pocketing $70,000, but he had since made full disclosure to the owners and repaid all the money.
“He has been publicly shamed and his reputation has suffered,” Dunn said.
The hearing was told Stanley had invested heavily on repairing the track at the Sutton Grange property he trains from as it was rundown and overgrown when he took over.
But counsel for Racing Victoria stewards said Stanley had taken money from owners who had supported him and were deprived of the true value of their horse.
Stanley pleaded guilty to a charge relating to dishonest, corrupt, fraudulent, improper or dishonourable practice.
He was also disqualified for three months on two charges of giving false or misleading evidence with those bans to be served concurrently.
Earlier in the day, Schofield was hit with a $50,000 fine for his involvement.
He pleaded guilty to the trading of bloodstock without the written permission of the governing body, in this case Racing Victoria.
He was fined $20,000 in NSW for a breach of the same rule in the case of Lil Caesar who also joined the Hong Kong stable of Danny Shum.
Schofield told both hearings he was unaware of the rule which was accepted.
Stanley has until midnight on March 28 to find new homes for his horses and cannot start a horse in the interim, unless he lodges an appeal to the Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal and is granted a stay of proceedings.
