CHAMPION trainer Robbie Heathcote has always been very accessible to the media and racing public but that could change dramatically following a stewards’ inquiry into the comments he made on a website blog.

Heathcote was fined $500 on a charge of conduct prejudicial to the image of racing after criticizing a ride by top jockey Larry Cassidy in a column he wrote on the Horse Racing Only website.

The inquiry was instigated after Cassidy lodged a complaint against the comments made about his ride on Listen Son in the Victory Stakes on April 27 – in which the trainer was basically echoing the sentiments of many others who watch Brisbane racing closely.

Of the race in question, Heathcote wrote:

"Buffering got well softened up by Cassidy on Listen Son as we expected him to.

"Nice to get one over Cassidy and my colleague, Tony Gollan but, rest assured, the square up may come down the track somewhere.

"No doubt Cassidy's ‘job' ... was to try and bring Buffering down."

Gollan had three runners in the race. Heathcote’s star sprinter Buffering was resuming from an enforced spell. Listen Son definitely softened him up but it did not alter the result. On the day there were trackside murmurs of ‘team riding’ but that didn’t rate a mention in the stewards’ report.

Cassidy and Heathcote were once a very successful team in Queensland racing. He won 64 races for the stable and among those were four on Buffering. But the relationship soured after he failed to lead on the stable star in the 2011 Doomben 10,000.

The situation worsened after the Cassidy ride on the Heathcote-trained Trump was the subject of a long-running inquiry. Cassidy copped three months but that was later overturned on appeal.

A subsequent midweek defeat last year on a short-priced Heathcote runner saw the duo trade verbal blows in the jockeys’ room at Doomben. Their successful partnership was over but the bad blood has simmered ever since.

Heathcote made no secret of his anger at the conclusion of Monday’s inquiry. It wasn’t the $500 fine but moreso the principal that he could not express his opinion which was shared by many others.

Heathcote admitted at the hearing that he ignored Cassidy these days but insisted there was no malice in the comments he made in the website blog.

He told BEN DORRIES, who covered the inquiry for THE COURIER-MAIL that the Cassidy accusations were ‘childish and ludicrous’ and went on to say:   

''For the amount of time I devote to the industry, aside from my own business, that is what has upset me the most to have to face this charge.

''The offending blog is something I write as a courtesy to a good friend, to bring as much information to the public as I can.

''That will now be my last blog.

''I will also review my obligations with regard to the media.''

Chief steward Wade Birch conceded that Heathcote was ‘a good ambassador for the sport of racing’ but went on to say that his panel felt the top trainer had let himself down in making these comments.

Once again the message has been batted home to licensees who express opinions in the media that it could come back to haunt them if they offend the stewards.

The only loser in this affair will be the racing industry.

Here is the report on the stewards’ inquiry that was heard by Wade Birch, Daniel Aurisch and Norm Torpey:

RACING Queensland Stewards today inquired into a complaint lodged by licensed Jockey Larry Cassidy against licensed Trainer Mr. Robert Heathcote.

The basis of the complaint was due to comments attributed to Mr. Heathcote on the Horse Racing Only website, particularly the passage which read “nice to get one over Cassidy and my colleague, Tony Gollan but, rest assured, the square up may come down the track somewhere.”

Mr. Heathcote explained that this comment was made in reference to the possibility that Mr. Gollan or Mr. Cassidy may get the opportunity to “square up” with him in the future by defeating one of his runners and winning a feature race.

After considering the evidence, Stewards accepted the interpretation of the passage as advanced by Mr. Heathcote and were satisfied that the publication of this passage did not offend any Rules of Racing.  Mr. Heathcote was nevertheless informed that Stewards believed the words that appeared within the passage were poorly chosen and open to sinister interpretation.

After considering all of the evidence Stewards did however believe that a charge should be laid against Mr. Heathcote under Australian Rule of Racing 175A which reads:

Any person bound by these Rules who either within a racecourse or elsewhere in the opinion of the Committee of any Club or the Stewards has been guilty of conduct prejudicial to the image, or interests, or welfare of racing may be penalised.

The specifics of the charge being that Mr. Robert Heathcote did engage in conduct prejudicial to the image of racing by authoring an article that appeared on the Horse Racing Only website which included the passage “No doubt Cassidy’s ‘job’ in the Victory Stakes was to try and bring Buffering down.”

After hearing submissions from Mr. Heathcote in response to the charge Stewards advised Mr. Heathcote that the relevant passage in the article could be construed that Jockey Cassidy had ridden his mount Listen Son in the Victory Stakes with the sole purpose of negatively impacting the competitive chances of Buffering in the event, this suggestion had no evidentiary basis.

Mr. Heathcote was subsequently found guilty of the charge.

In assessing penalty Stewards believed the comments within the article had the ability to impact the integrity of the sport and call into question the character of his fellow participants.

Stewards informed Mr. Heathcote that his good record, contribution to the sport over a long period of time and his professional conduct as one of Queensland’s leading trainers was also considered when determining penalty.

A fine of $500 was imposed.