The Fine Cotton Scandal

Introduction

• A champion seven-year-old horse was painted white and had its hair dyed brown the night before the Commerce Novice Handicap race, which was run on August 18, 1984, at Eagle Farm Racetrack in Brisbane.
• The champion horse wasn't allowed to compete in the race since it wasn't a novice, but Haitana, Gillespie, and other syndicate members, notably entrepreneur Robert North, had plans to "ring-in," or replace their champion horse with a runner who was allowed to run.
• The replacement horse, racing under the name Fine Cotton, got out to a poor start but rapidly picked up the pace, galloping strongly around the turn, and just beating off the early favorite Harbour Gold at the finish line.
• After the race, however, track officials discovered Fine Cotton's legs were covered in white paint.
• The horse was declared disqualified and all bets were lost less than 30 minutes after he crossed the finish line.

Emergency substitute

• Even though Fine Cotton's race was over in less than 90 seconds, the overall plot started months earlier.
• John Gillespie, who had engaged in illicit horse gambling in the past, and a relative of Haitana spoke about a potential ring-in fraud in their prison cells.
• Following his release, Gillespie spent AUD $10,000 (£5,880) to buy Dashing Solitaire, a quick gelding from Sydney, Australia.
• Then he searched thoroughfares for a slower lookalike.
• He spent $2,000 (£1,175) for the out-of-form Fine Cotton and hired Hayden Haitana to train it.
• The syndicate had a disastrous blow when Dashing Solitaire became hurt days before the race.
• Gillespie was now substantially involved in the program and eager for a return on his investment.
• He thus paid $20,000 (£11,750) for the horse Bold Personality using a check that would ultimately bounce.
• He did not resemble Fine Cotton at all, which was a problem.
  • Bold Personality had a white mark on his forehead and was lighter in color.
• So, to make him seem more like Fine Cotton the evening before the race, Gillespie and Haitana secretly painted and dyed his hair.

Short odds

• Betting increased suspiciously fast when "Fine Cotton" entered the racecourse. Odds on the horse were 33-1 at first, but they quickly dropped to 7-2.
• Officials swiftly discovered proof of the ring-in after "Fine Cotton" barely prevailed, and the horse was disqualified.
• Police launched a search for the offenders, but Haitana had already escaped.
• However, he was quickly found, sentenced to six months in prison, and permanently barred from racetracks.
• Along with Gillespie, six other people were prohibited.
• Gus Philpot, the horse's innocent jockey, was exonerated.
• One of the most infamous con games in sports history was the ring-in.
• Racehorses are now microchipped in order to prevent conspiracies like these.

Cheating in the “Sport of Kings”

• Cheaters don't only employ ring-ins to earn money on the racetrack under the table.
• The most well-known fraud involves carefully putting huge bets to manipulate betting chances.
• Bookmakers now carefully examine betting trends to spot any suspicious behavior.
• Other con artists have gone so far as to print false winning tickets, although modern technical advancements make it more difficult for such rudimentary tactics to be successful.
• The majority of cheating takes place on the other side of the rail, when dishonest trainers, jockeys, owners, and veterinarians try to influence races by collusion or by giving horses hormones and painkillers.
• This has become more difficult, however, due to frequent drug testing.
• Unlawful "buzzers," which shock the horses with electric shocks to make them run faster, have also been used by dishonest trainers and riders in the past.

Related Crimes

• 1844: When Maccabeus, a four-year-old horse, enters the Epsom Derby, which is only open to three-year-old horses, he wins under the name of Running Rein; the real winner is Levi Goldman, who flees to France.
• July 16, 1953: The markings of two French horses are switched during the Spa Spelling Stakes in Bath, England.
  • The punishments handed down to the four concerned males range from nine months to three years.
• March 1, 2007: Chris Munce, an Australian jockey, was found guilty of accepting bribes in return for betting recommendations and given a 20-month prison term.