A punter won more than $70,000 in an all-up bet from tips Tommy Berry allegedly gave him before a group 1 meeting, including a horse the champion jockey didn’t even ride.
Gold Coast butcher Zaid Miller banked the huge windfall from the rescheduled Tancred Stakes meeting at Newcastle in March, a key focus for Racing NSW stewards in their inquiry into links between jockeys and large punters.
Tommy Berry has vowed to clear his name after being charged by stewards.Credit:Getty
According to sources familiar with the situation speaking on the condition of anonymity, it will be alleged Miller backed the Berry-ridden Character to win the Tulloch Stakes and parlayed the bet into Promise Of Success in the Emancipation Stakes the following race.
He won more than $70,000 from the wager.
Berry didn’t ride Promise Of Success – or any other horse in the race – but the Herald can reveal stewards have identified the group 2 fillies and mares event as one of those in question during their long-running investigation into jockeys receiving benefits from punters for providing winning tips.
Racing NSW issued five charges against Berry last week, alleging that on two occasions he benefited from Miller providing cash to a family member of Berry’s after successful bets.
It is against the rules of racing for a jockey to receive any consideration from a person other than a horse’s owner without permission from stewards.
The jockey has vehemently denied the allegations and said he will fight to clear his name at a Racing NSW inquiry, likely to be held in the new year.
Promise Of Success’ Emancipation Stakes win will raise eyebrows given Berry didn’t have a mount in the race, which was held 35 minutes after he booted home Character in the Tulloch Stakes.
It was Newcastle’s first-ever group 1 meeting after Rosehill Gardens was deemed too wet to hold the program two days earlier during Sydney’s monsoonal weather.
Promise Of Success, seen here winning The Invitation, won the Emancipation Stakes earlier this year, a race in question for the stewards’ inquiry.Credit:Getty
Promise Of Success has only won one race since, the $2 million The Invitation at Royal Randwick on Cox Plate day.
Last week, the Herald revealed stewards will argue Miller profited from the maiden win of the smart Waterford at Warwick Farm in March before transferring money to a Berry associate. The race was also the Australian debut of Waterford.
Waterford has since won a further three times in Sydney and was among the favourites for the Silver Eagle, a key lead-up race for the $10 million Golden Eagle.
Queensland-based butcher Miller is also facing five charges of his own from stewards for inducing Berry to breach the rules of racing, and conduct prejudicial to the image of the sport. He can be charged because he is a registered owner of a racehorse.
Miller is known for serving a number of high-profile sportspeople through his butcher business on the Gold Coast, once boasting of supplying meat to ex-NRL star Jarryd Hayne.
Berry stood down from riding at Royal Randwick on The Ingham day after falling ill on Saturday morning and is allowed to continue competing until the inquiry is held.
Canberra-based jockeys Jack Martin and Kayla Nisbet are also facing charges over an association with professional punter Jacob Hoffmann, commonly known in punting circles as “The Bear”.
Fellow hoop Jordan Mallyon is alleged to have bet on races on November 7 in 2021 as well as between late January to June this year.
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