Racing NSW stewards have imposed a six-month ban and a $10,000 fine on horse owner Richard Callander for dishonest and fraudulent conduct relating to his sale of thoroughbred Lil Caesar to Hong Kong buyers.
Collander’s ban is worldwide, meaning that he is not legally permitted to be physically presence on any racecourse in the world.
The penalty is just half of what it will cost jockey Glyn Schofield, who will pay $20,000 for his role in the scheme. Schofield apparently failed to seek the permission of the Racing NSW stewards before taking part in the transaction.
At the heart of the matter is a $60,000 discrepancy between the horse’s actual selling price and the amount reported to the former owners. Collander’s defense amounted to claiming that conduct of this nature is part of every sale. His cut of the $60,000 was to be $26,000, with $10,000 going to jockey Schofield and $24,000 going to Chris Waller training manager Liam Prior.
Callander is now claiming that he has suffered enough already and apparently feels entitled to leniency, because he pled guilty as soon as he was caught, offered to pay back the stolen money and said he was sorry.
