Less Than 'More Joyous' For John Singleton & Waterhouse Clan

• Oliver Smith, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2013

The gob-smacking claims that rock the Sydney racing world with two of the highest profile people in the sport of kings caught up between a game of he said, she said Chinese whispers.
The controversial claims from advertising- mastermind businessman John Singleton regarding his Gai Waterhouse trained mare ‘More Joyous’ has caused some serious repercussions for Sydney racing, and the wider Australian community.
On the 27th April, at Royal Randwick the ‘All Aged Stakes’ race was held consisting of two favourites ‘More Joyous’ and ‘All to Hard’. Singleton made explosive claims that declared Tom Waterhouse had told footy legend Andrew Johns, his mare ‘More Joyous’ could not win the race due to medical conditions that Singleton was not aware of. He says Tom Waterhouse, (of tomwaterhouse.com) was behind the allegations and told Andrew Johns. Andrew Johns, Eddie Hayson, (a brothel owner), who forwarded it to Allan Robinson, (a former jockey) who then told ‘More Joyous’ owner John Singleton. After the race ‘More Joyous’ came second last. John Singleton, threw these claims around in fury and sacked his close friend and 15 year thoroughbred trainer Gai Waterhouse, after the horse was intended great competition between ‘More Joyous’ and ‘All to Hard’ – The famous ‘Black Caviar’s’ half-brother. All eyes were on the race between these two racing greats, but unfortunately ‘More Joyous’ came second last. ‘All to Hard’ was first past the post.
Before dawn, John Singleton had removed all 7 horses from Waterhouse, Kensington stables. Gai was training her horses at her usual 4 am. Singleton arrived and removed all his horses after sacking Gai as the thoroughbred trainer the day before at Randwick.

Gai Waterhouse has produced some champions in her time, but she may have set a standard that wasn’t enough for John Singleton. After the tip-off from 3 mates that lead Singleton throwing allegations at the Waterhouse family, consisting of More Joyous trainer - Gai Waterhouse, Bookie - Tom Waterhouse, and former bookie – Robbie Waterhouse. The incident was put forward to a NSW Racing Inquiry, at NSW Racing HQ, Sydney. Parties consisting of Tom, Robbie, Gai Waterhouse, John Singleton, Andrew Johns, Eddie Hayson and Allan Robinson. The witnesses only agreed to join in on the inquiry in its last days as witnesses for Singleton. The parties sat at a long table and at some times the conversations got fairly heated, with comments and statements being thrown at each other. Some of the comments are below;
Allan Robinson “Gai, you’re nothing but a failed actress and you married a perjurer.”
‘‘The snobbery, you know the ‘racing’s royal family’ accolades they shower upon themselves, they turn me sick,’’ Murphy said of the Waterhouse family.

At the completion of the ‘More Joyous’ Inquiry there was no real winner, or one that came out on top.
o Owner, John Singleton was slapped with a record $20,000 but was discounted to a $15,000 fine. He was fined for a ‘change of conduct prejudicial to the image of racing’, and charged with two counts of bringing racing into disrepute. With completion of the Inquiry Johns words were “I should have stayed upstairs (in the chairman’s lounge) kept it to myself, gone home and licked my wounds, and removed my horses (from Mrs Waterhouse’s stables) discreetly.”
o While Gai Waterhouse has two charges to answer to on the 27th of May. The two charges were relating to the fitness, treatment and wellbeing of ‘More Joyous’ late last month at the All Aged Stakes, Royal Randwick.



o Meanwhile, bookie Tom Waterhouse was cleared of any wrong doing, but was instructed by Mr Murrihy, (Racing Inquiry) “You must not in your advertising and commentary, get too close to the bone in using the Waterhouse name and using your mother’s name… it doesn’t help your business, it doesn’t help Mr Singleton and it doesn’t help us.”
Mr Murrihy Continued “To be mindful of the public perception, with a potential of a conflict of interest with his mother. One of Australia’s most successful trainers”

The trio of witnesses; NRL personality Andrew Johns, Brothel owner Eddie Hayson and former jockey Allan Robinson, finally after many weeks agreed to front-up at the controversial racing inquiry. Johns was hesitant of joining the inquiry earlier in the week. He was concerned around his job with Channel 9 being fractured and possibly lost if he interrupted the connections with the channel’s football focus and $5 million dollar deal with bookmaker Tom Waterhouse. He says” I didn’t want to create tension and risk my job or friendship with Tom or Channel 9.” He eventually fronted – up to the stewards inquiry on Monday 13th May.
Andrew Johns says “I repeated the conversation which I had with Tom but I cannot be certain of what I said. I can however, swear on my life what Tom said to me, but I cannot be certain the way I worded it to Eddie Hayson.” Johns also told the inquiry “I was devastated that somehow I’ve inadvertently caused the drama that went on, that is still going on 16 days after the event,” Tuesday, May 15.
Allan Robinson was termed a ‘Trumped up little jockey’ by Gai Waterhouse due to Allan refusing to quiet down on his defence for John Singleton. He also said he refused to give evidence unless Eddie Hayson & Andrew Johns were at the inquiry. Eventually he gave a small amount, but his real challenge was explaining his claims “To offer new evidence in the affair.” It was labelled “The bomb that never exploded.” His lawyer, Chris Murphy also informed the inquiry that Robinson had been "taken by surprise at the evidence" and “He had a whole different story to tell.” In a dramatic ending to the “More Joyous” inquiry, Allan Robinson threatened to offer dramatic new evidence, but only if the other two witnesses returned to the inquiry.
It’s also understood that the additional evidence that was never brought to the table by Robinson was relating to the condition of “More Joyous” on the days leading up to the race at Randwick, rather than contradicting Andrew Johns side of the story.
As Allan left the inquiry, he said "The street you're going down doesn't suit me so I'll be leaving.”
Eddie Hayson, Brothel owner who also was involved in the action claimed “Everybody knew the horse couldn’t win except poor Singo.”
Singo was the only one who didn’t know the vets were all over the horse and she probably wouldn’t run up to expectation.” He also told stewards “He did not back “More Joyous” because he had been made aware she allegedly had problems leading into the race.” His role in the inquiry was limited due to the delayed timing of his appearance.

Another issue is the debacle that started the huge inquiry was the two sources that informed Brothel owner, Eddie Hayson. Mr Hayson also confirmed that one of his informants was leaking information from Ms Waterhouse’s stables was an employee of Gai. At the inquiry, Hayson was asked to name names and he scribbled it down on a piece of paper and slid it across to chief steward Ray Murrihy, while doing so Waterhouse did not glance down, but kept staring straight ahead. Later in the unravelling of the incident, her legal delegates requested the names. Murrihy’s response was, “We will give consideration to that.”

In 2006, in a separate inquiry, it was known that another employee of Gai’s stables was brought under fire after Hayson had been in contact with Mr Pat Sexton. Mr Sexton was quickly shown the door after the allegations were proved true.

“Hopefully after all this uprawl and predicament, Gai can continue to prove her championship, professionalism and her titleholder as one of Australia’s greatest thoroughbred trainers. Her racing generations past and present will continue to shine to the rest of Australia and her position of the racing world.”

Not long after this was written, the steward’s inquiry was completed and found some interesting results.
o Gai Waterhouse was fined $5000, for failing to keep proper records and reporting a condition to stewards that could have affected her performance at the ‘All Aged Stakes’ at Randwick in early April. Gai was also fined $500 for not keeping the horse’s treatment book up to date. Gai also made this statement at the end of 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” also, “shoddy and incredibly cruel, unfair and disgraceful on her and her family.”
o John Singleton was hit with a $20,000 fine which was discounted to $15,000, for a charge of conduct prejudicial to the image of racing
o Tom Waterhouse was cleared of any wrong doing, and all allegations were untrue. Tom also said it was “Too early” to determine whether he would take defamation against John Singleton