LEADING Wodonga trainer Brian Cox has pleaded guilty to three charges including man-handling of a steward on the opening day of a Racing Appeals and Disciplinary board hearing in Melbourne on Monday.
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Mr Cox’s legal team informed chairman, Judge John Bowman, before the start of the hearing that the 11-time Wodonga Cup winning trainer would plead guilty to charges about his conduct towards stewards, Rhys Melville and Dion Villella, during an inspection of the Wodonga stable on March 10.
He also pleaded guilty to the possession of the banned substance, Nitrotain, but is digging in for a fight on a string of other charges including an alleged act of animal cruelty.
Vet Bob Fielding is also answering three charges at the same hearing and was present on the opening day.
Racing Victoria’s compliance assurance team members, Mr Melville and Mr Villella, provided detailed accounts of Mr Cox’s behaviour during the stable inspection in March which led to the trainer being taken to hospital.
Mr Melville said the “stock standard” inspection followed some information being received about the stable a week earlier.
The steward located two containers in a fridge in the tea room of Mr Cox’s stables with one later proven to be containing Nitrotain, a banned substance for more than two years.
The hearing was told Mr Cox collapsed soon after and head-butted the ground in a fit of rage before charging at the tea room door.
Mr Melville said he feared Mr Cox could do harm to himself.
The steward, a former policeman, said the trainer was hell-bent on stopping Mr Melville taking possession of the container from the fridge.
“He was virtually climbing over the top of him (Mr Villella) to get the product,” Mr Melville said.
“I was also concerned for my safety.
“(Mr Cox) was unpredictable.”
Mr Villella was filming the incident at the time he and Mr Cox made a beeline for the container.
“He was trying to grab my arms to get the container,” he said.
“In my 21 years experience I’ve never been in that position.
“I’ve been verbally abused, but I’ve never been physically manhandled or witnessed what happened on that day.”
The hearing was told Mr Cox contacted stewards by letter the next day apologising for his conduct and also admitted the Nitrotain was purchased in 2014, but had not been used on any horses.
He excused himself from the hearing when Mr Melville and Mr Villella provided their evidence.
Racing Victoria’s chief vet Brian Stewart also appeared as a witness in relation to a charge Mr Cox failed to exercise reasonable care to prevent an act of cruelty.
Stewards allege Mr Cox was given vet advice on December 8 last year to rest and confine the horse Cochrane’s Gap for two to three months to overcome a serious leg wound.
But the next day the horse was presented for a jumpout at Wangaratta racecourse.
Photos of the leg wound were shown at the hearing.
“It was unnecessary to subject the horse to the jumpout at that particular time,” Dr Stewart said.
The hearing continues on Tuesday.