Damion Flower will forfeit the prizemoney his horses have amassed while in jail as the convicted drug smuggler and inaugural The Everest slot-holder was handed one of the longest bans in history from the horse racing industry.
The high-profile owner has been disqualified for 17 years after an extensive Racing NSW inquiry, which resulted in the part-owner of champion stallion Snitzel being charged with conduct prejudicial to the image of racing.
Damion Flower, who pleaded guilty to charges relating to a cocaine importation plot. Credit:Phil Hearne SpecialX Races
Flower was also fined $100,000, a sum believed to have been held in a trust account by Racing NSW for his cut of winnings while in custody.
Until the end of the inquiry, Flower had still been able to part-own horses under his Jadeskye banner despite being arrested during a major drugs bust near Sydney Airport in 2019 in which he was accused of importing a commercial quantity of cocaine over a lengthy period.
He was sentenced 28 years in prison earlier this year with a non-parole period of 17 years.
Flower has only one horse still in his name, the Chris Waller-trained Tycoonist, which will be spread among other interests after he lodged a guilty plea to bringing the racing industry into disrepute.
His disqualification period will not expire until July, 2039. The owner spent tens of millions of dollars on yearling sales throughout Australia and shot to prominence when he raced group 1-winning sprinter Snitzel, who would later emerge as one of the country’s most valuable stallions.
He was one of the first 12 investors into Racing NSW’s uber-successful The Everest concept, which requires individuals, partnerships or companies to pay $600,000 per year for a slot in the world’s richest turf race. They then choose a horse to represent them in the race and split the prizemoney with connections.
Flower forfeited his slot after being arrested for running the drug ring, which involved him communicating with an airport baggage handler via coded text messages referencing rugby scores and jockey weights, which were instructions into which bags to collect.
