fine cotton scandal

The real Fine Cotton, who became an unwitting player in the massive scandal. Hoysted and Sheil describe how news of the Fine Cotton scandal grew legs, so to speak, because of the central­ity of the racetrack in Australian life in those days. Peter Hoysted writes a column under the name of 'Jack the Insider' and tells the incredibly strange story of the Fine Cotton affair: where a group of conspirators hatched a plot to defraud bookmakers of millions of dollars. Haitana prepared both Fine Cotton, a no-account bush cuddy from NSW, for the Doomben Novice on August 18, 1984, as well as being involved in the paint job on the much superior stand-in Bold Personality. 124 - The Fine Cotton Scandal - (Live w/Wil Anderson) Comedians Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds are joined by Australian Wil Anderson to examine The Fine Cotton Scandal live at The Comedy Store in Sydney, Australia. Everyone who followed horse racing knew it was a ring in. Fine Cotton’s owner fled from the race track, revealing the ring into the officials. The service for him will be held today at Gawler racecourse, in South Australia, once forbidden territory. Bold personality: Hayden Haitana was jailed for 12 months over the Fine Cotton scandal. Already suspicious from the betting action, the racing officials demanded Fine Cotton’s papers from his owner. It is, perhaps, Australia’s most famous sporting scandal. This week we are talking about the Fine Cotton Scandal! Suspiciously red in color, Bold Personality also had some white paint applied hastily to his hind legs. Essentially the scam goes like this; get two horses who look almost identical, race the weaker of the two horses in as many races as you can to drive down the odds of the horse ever winning a race, substitute the stronger of the two horses once the odds have become low enough, bet on that horse to win (which it likely will, because at that point the weaker of the two horses are running in some low-class races), and profit. Haitana, for reasons he never explained, was earmarked to “train” the horse. This kind of action, on a race that was so inconsequential, stood out like a sore thumb to race officials and essentially destroyed Fine Cotton’s owners’ plans. Fine Cotton trainer Haitana was called to a steward initiated investigation, but was learned to have somewhat hastily departed the premises. The service for him will be held today at Gawler racecourse, in South Australia, once forbidden territory. *Why not read the incredible story of Flockton Grey , the horse behind another of racing's worst-ever scandals? THE man at the centre of the 1984 Fine Cotton scandal is likely to have his 29-year ban from race tracks lifted this week. It's the racing scandal that stopped a nation. Fine Cotton mess. Bold Personality were not paid. "Some have weakness for the drink, some for women, some for the punt, and some for the con – but I'm lucky I've got the lot," Haitana is quoted in Fine Cotton and Me (Angus and Robertson), a memoir written with Graham Bauer. White paint was also applied to give Bold Personality a resemblance to the white markings on Fine Cotton's hind legs. "The poor animal had been carted all over the place, dehydrated, dyed, bled, drenched, kept up late and now was to run over this particular distance for the first time in his life. Not being the most scrupulous, nor attentive, owners, Dancing Solitaire came up lame from running into a barb wire fence. THE mastermind of the infamous Fine Cotton Affair has struck again, with a multi-million dollar scam involving a $44 million horse race, a Gold Coast nightclub singer, a former rugby league great, an art swindle and Muslim terrorist death threats. "It turned into quite a party,"Haitana added. Brown's body was found 15 kilometres north of Wollongong. With the big race coming up, this was devastating to the scammer’s plans. Perhaps Australia’s most famous racing sting story was in 1984 with the case of an ol’ switcheroo between slow-paced racehorse Fine Cotton and Bold Personality. Not to be deterred, the owners got some hair dye from the local supermarket with plans on dying all of the Bold Personality to match Fine Cotton’s color. The Fine Cotton Scandal: The Darkest Day in Horse Racing History June 5, 2020 It was one of the most controversial events in Australian horse racing history, involving an impostor horse, a record betting plunge and a motley crew of colourful racing identities. So, in this case, cheaters didn’t prosper. It’s no Fine Cotton scandal! "All it would take was one professional who knew damn well Fine Cotton was black then all of us were down the drain," the trainer recalled. "Any horse sporting bandages should have been given the once over to see they are properly stitched on but again no check. They also forgot to apply peroxide to Bold Personality’s hind legs to achieve the white markings of Fine Cotton. Haitana substituted bandages. Bold Personality was red. There are related clues (shown below). We’re sorry, this service is currently unavailable. Tonight, one of the men jailed breaks 35 years of silence. Trained by Brown, Risley was backed from 12/1 to 8/1 at Doomben around the same time. Fine cotton is a crossword puzzle clue. Disqualification resulted; the win was awarded to Harbour Gold, and all punters who had staked Fine Cotton aka. Bold personality: Hayden Haitana was jailed for 12 months over the Fine Cotton scandal.Credit:Fairfax Media. Brisbane in the early 80s was the stage for the Fine Cotton comedy of errors, but the George Brown tragedy gave the scene a sinister tone. The paint "dribbled down onto his shoes". Fine Cotton, possibly the greatest racing scandal of our time, came to the fore this week with the death of Haitana, 72. This week we are talking about the Fine Cotton Scandal! Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, has agreed to plead guilty to three federal criminal charges for its role in creating the nation's opioid … "He looked nothing like Fine Cotton," Haitana divulged to Bauer, necessitating a transformation the day before the race with "hair stuff" women use. On August 18, 1984, ‘Fine Cotton’ lined up at the gate for a race called the 2nd Novice Handicap, a race for new horses making a name for themselves and old horses on their way out of horse racing. Hayden Haitana, the trainer linked to the Fine Cotton scandal, has died in South Australia. … Due to a similarity, the talented Dashing Soltaire was the first horse chosen to switch with Fine Cotton but he ran into a barbed wire fence and so another had to be found on short notice. Apart from those on the wrong side, Fine Cotton produced more humour than anguish but Risley was grisly. Now, Fine Cotton was a brown horse with white markings on his hind legs. Fine Cotton, racing at Eagle Farm, was backed from 33-1 into 7-2 in a nationwide plunge and his victory triggered the country's biggest racing scandal. Fine Cotton was a ring-in, where a fast horse is substituted for a slow horse and those with the inside knowledge can bet with bookmakers at inflated odds. Fine Cotton, the real Fine Cotton, died in 2009 at the age of 32. Fine Cotton’s owners were ready to substitute Fine Cotton for another horse, Dancing Solitaire, that looked exactly like Fine Cotton. The race went on, and ‘Fine Cotton’ won the race by a nose. Now, how about you get into some fair games and stay away from betting on brown horses that turn red. "You wouldn't put a zac into an operation featuring Hayden Haitana," one wag told me. Alas the next day the conspirators were aghast. The 1984 scandal was front page news. Now the mastermind behind it claims the scam was an elaborate "double sting" that earned him $1.8 million. Once people began to see the horse trotting around the track, the obviously not, Fine Cotton’s odds went to 7-2. Instead, they found a horse named, Bold Personality. Trainer Hayden Haitana's life ban lifted over Fine Cotton ring-in scandal. The Waterhouse involvement was set alight by the Australian Jockey Club committee, which cut its law enforcement officer, John Schreck, loose on the case. HAYDEN Haitana is "finding it hard to believe" that his 29-year-ban over the Fine Cotton affair had finally come to an end. A scheme months in the making, former bloodstock agent John Gillespie purchased a talented doppelgänger of not-so-talented horse Fine Cotton. Matt is an award-winning Melbourne based comedian, writer, actor and director. "I think they felt sorry for me as I spoke of my dire peril and dragged names of heavies out of the air. The official 1984 racebook, with the page featuring Fine Cotton, from the infamous Fine Cotton ring-in day. Perhaps he can't be remembered as a credible witness considering his admission on his 60 Minutes appearance, geared around a "fear of his life" theme. "His racing plates were supposed to be checked and he could have been disqualified for having running spikes, but there was no inspection. Fine Cotton, the ‘weak’ horse in this scandal, had been raced in just about any race its owners could find in southern Queensland, Australia. Subsequently Haitana was warned off Australian racecourses for life by stewards until the ban was lifted in 2013. Just about everyone knows the story of Fine Cotton, the horse at the centre of a racing ring-in in Brisbane in 1984, 26 years ago next week. The brown Australian thoroughbred gelding at the focus of the scandal was none other than Fine Cotton, who was oblivious to what his syndicate was scheming in the Commerce Novice (2nd division) Handicap over 1,500 meters at Eagle Farm Racecourse, Brisbane, Queensland. Hayden Haitana, a central figure in the infamous Fine Cotton scandal, has died aged 72. THE Fine Cotton Affair is remembered as racing's most amateurish, comical ring-in. The Racing Queensland (RQ) Board has today decided to lift the lifetime ban imposed on Hayden Haitana in 1984 following the Fine Cotton scandal (Thoroughbreds). This is the podcast version of episode three of our new web series that we made with Stupid Old Studios. Haitana was the trainer of Fine Cotton, who was substituted for Bold Personality in an attempted nationwide betting plunge at Eagle Farm in Brisbane back in 1984. No doubt Gillespie was a strong presence with the conspirators but another tagged "The Phantom" by Haitana was bigger. Fine Cotton. Fine Cotton, the ‘weak’ horse in this scandal, had been raced in just about any race its owners could find in southern Queensland, Australia. Happy-but-hardly-go-lucky New Zealander Hayden Haitana, official trainer of Fine Cotton, supplied the laughs but the mirth subsides with recollections of Brown, savagely murdered in what many regard as his role in another alleged planned substitution that went wrong in the northern capital with no links to Fine Cotton. I was at Warwick Farm and 10 minutes after the race knew the details and wouldn't have been in the first 1000 to hear of the planned sting. How could they find a horse that looked like Fine Cotton, but was also a great racer like Dancing Solitaire? "The interview lasted for two bottles of whisky …". No history of racing … 3 min read. Fine cotton, aka Bold Personality, was disqualified from the race and everyone who placed bets on him lost their money as the second place horse was awarded the race. Fine Cotton, a moderately performed gelding, was backed from $34 to $4.50 and won — before the alarm was raised. Robbie returned in 2001 while his father, who strongly denied previous knowledge, was given a bookmaking licence again in 2002. At the time of the substitution, Fine Cotton’s odds were around 20-1. Haitana wrote to the RQ Board recently asking for the lifetime ban to be lifted so he … The plan was hatched by Gillespie in Boggo Road Gaol, after he met Haitana’s brother Pat, a jockey serving time for “kite flying”, criminal parlance for … It was one of the most controversial events in Australian horse racing history: involving an impostor horse, a record betting plunge and a motley crew of colourful racing identities. Please try again later. Later, when on the run, Haitana was apprehended in South Australia but damaged property in the hoosegow and was fined $140. The aftermath was a disaster, according to Haitana, apart from him having his taxi fare to stage a speedy retreat from backing the winner. Lester Grimmett's notes and shorthand are on the page. Well, as it turned out, they couldn’t. Investigations in three states failed to find Brown's killers. He was also sent to jail. Another major player, John Gillespie, was also jailed while bookmakers Bill Waterhouse and son Robbie Waterhouse were warned off for having prior knowledge. The story includes a vicious gangster, a used-car salesman, a hapless horse trainer and a bucket of hair dye. "What time does the TAB open, Your Worship?". Nathan Exelby . Bold Personality was bay with no markings. They say cheaters never prosper and I’m not so sure that’s true but idiotic cheaters certainly never prosper. "In green dishwashing gloves up to our elbows in brown bubbles we worked with a will and Bold Personality was a very sorry horse.". The story is retold in new book The Fine Cotton Fiasco, by Peter Hoysted and Pat Sheil, (Ebury $34.99) in bookstores tomorrow. There wasn't a public whisper at Eagle Farm before the event but hooters chanted "ring-in" when the horses returned to the enclosure prompting official action and disqualification of "Fine Cotton", eventuating with all bets on him being lost. January 10, 2020 Paul Courts VICTORIAN horseman Stephen Lambert has been left fuming following an investigation into an “administration error”. Before the race, Fine Cotton’s odds went as low as 33-1. The front cover of the racebook from the day of the infamous 1984 Fine Cotton ring-in scandal. Going on the whispered word, it was being offered for weeks previously in Sydney betting circles, but shunned by most. Fine cotton is a crossword puzzle clue that we have spotted over 20 times. Pages in category "Sports betting scandals" The following 42 pages are in this category, out of 42 total. Paint applied hastily to his hind legs to achieve the white markings on his hind.! 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