ON THE 25th ANNIVERSARY OF THE FINE COTTON SCANDAL WE RECALL AN EARLIER 'RING-IN'
THIS month marks the 25th anniversary of the most controversial day in the history of Australian racing when the Fine Cotton ring-in scandal rocked the industry to its foundations.
Never had a more daring scam been attempted on a metropolitan racecourse than the events that unfolded on August 18, 1984, in a Novice Handicap at Eagle Farm in Brisbane.
Nor had there been an act of skullduggery attempted so incompetently, reeking of cheapness and stupidity from the beginning to the end. The ramifications were costly, to both the reputation and the bank balance of the participants.
Although there have been many ring-ins and other illegal scams in Australian racing, the Fine Cotton scandal is infamous due to the involvement of some of racing's elite. Its legacy still hovers over the industry two and a half decades later.
There has been plenty of ring-ins over the years. There was Erbie, a prolific NSW country winner, which won at least four races as Redlock in rural South Australia. There was Royal School, a low grade Casterton horse, which was later revealed to be the 1970 Liston Stakes winner, Renzella, when bolting in at a country meeting in Victoria. There was Master Jolly, Australia’s first famous ring-in, which took place on the long gone pony tracks of Sydney.
But none held a candle to the Fine Cotton ring-in in terms of audacity, incompetence and size. Fine Cotton died in February, aged 31.
WEALTHY QUEENSLAND GRAZIER DISQUALIFIED FOR LIFE IN THE 1940s
TODAY we bring you the feature story of another Queensland ring-in that most would never have heard of. It’s an interesting tale about a wealthy grazier who was disqualified for life over the alleged ring-in of a Sydney winner at Blackall.
All the ingredients of a Nat Gould sensation novel were served up in a long investigation into the alleged ringing-in, as a maiden performer, of a Sydney winner named Before Dark, at a meeting at Blackall in country Queensland back in 1943.
The Barcoo Racing Club stewards, maintaining a long distance probe into the bona fides of the horse, Lucky Hit, which they commenced in October of 1943, finalized their inquiry almost a year later with a declaration that Before Dark and Lucky Hit were one in the same horse.
They disqualified for life wealthy and well-known Queensland grazier, Leslie Gordon Scanlan, a colorful figure in Central Queensland racing. At one time Mr Scanlan took out a bookmaker’s licence with the CQRA and fielded at Longreach.
Mr Scanlan was a Mount Isa publican for a period and was once the owner of the prominent racehorse, Constant Watch, with which he won a Rockhampton Cup. In partnership with his father, L. G Scanlan, he owned Bexley Station, which comprised 40,0000 acres of magnificent country on the Thompson River, from which a wool clip of about 400 bales were marketed each year.
Before Dark, a three-year-old colt, was purchased in the name of ‘L Carrington, care of L G Scanlan, Bexley Station, Longreach.’ Up until then he had bolted in with a race over 1400m in Sydney in May, 1942.
Lucky Hit was a horse nominated for the two-day Blackall meeting in October 1943 that stewards found to be identical to Before Dark. He was nominated in the name of ‘E Somers’ but extensive inquiries by stewards failed to locate any trace of ‘Carrington or Somers.’
Lucky Hit was entered for two Maiden races on the first day of the Blackall meeting but did not start. Instead he contested an open race on day two and was weighted on the minimum. The top weight, Resourceful, had won two feature races at Longreach in September and ran favorite.
THE PLUNGE BACK IN THOSE DAYS WAS ENORMOUS AND THE HORSE BOLTED IN
A ready-made market was thus created for the backing of the horse that stewards alleged was a ‘ring-in.’ Bookmakers’ sheets of the day showed that Lucky Hit had been backed to win 1600 pounds – big money in those days – and was backed from sixes to even money. He won easily by six lengths. And that was despite carrying excess condition.
Suspicions of the stewards were aroused. They felt this alleged maiden, Lucky Hit, gave the impression he had plenty of racing experience. (Before Dark had raced 14 times in Sydney).
An inquiry was opened into the bona fides of the gelding. Scanlan stated that he was in charge of Lucky Hit but that one ‘Edward Somers’ was the owner. He admitted having signed the nomination form in the name of ‘Somers’ without the latter’s consent.
Scanlan further stated that ‘Somers’ had bred the horse but that Lucky Hit was trained at Bexley Station. ‘Somers’, he said, had brought the horse to Bexley from the Windorah district about 12 or 13 weeks before with two or three other horses.
Lewis Spratt, the rider of Lucky Hit, told stewards he was employed at Bexley for 10 weeks by Scanlan to do general station work and ride horses. He thought Lucky Hit came from the south. He was told the horse had been gelded at Bexley. He did not see ‘Somers’ there.
The stewards decided that Scanlan had committed a breach of the Rules of Racing in signing the nomination form without the owner’s consent. He was admonished but not punished and the inquiry generally was adjourned.
Meanwhile, the stewards proceeded with their main investigation. They ordered the prizemony won by Lucky Hit to be sent to ‘Edward Somers’, Palace Hotel, Longreach, but it was returned unclaimed. Shortly afterwards an urgent telegram was received through Davenport Downs radio to pay the prizemoney for Lucky Hit to the local Red Cross. It was signed ‘Somers.’
Origin of the message was traced to a station in south-west Queensland where the stewards claimed a relative of Scanlan resided. They stated that in their opinion ‘Somers’ was non-existent.
A statement secured from a stock inspector at Wallangarra said that a person by the name of ‘L Carrington’ had arrived from Sydney with two entire horses in May 1943 and that they were to proceed north several days later. A permit was given for ‘owner L Carrington, Longreach.’ The stock inspector also said that the permit to travel in NSW was missing from the files.
Stipendiary Steward J S Killian, of the Rockhampton Jockey Club, instituted inquires at the request of the Barcoo stewards. He said that Thomas Fitzgerald, a livery stable keeper and licensed horse trainer at Rockhampton, had told him that, on May 5, 1943, under instructions from the Primary Producers’ Association, he took two horses off the train at Rockhampton, one being a brown gelding and the other a yearling and that the horses were consigned from Wallangarra to Longreach.
He recognized a photo shown to him as that of one of the horses he took off the train. It was of Lucky Hit that raced at Blackall in October, 1943.
Scanlan was notified by registered letter that he had been charged under Rule 162. He replied that pressure of business precluded his attendance and that he relied on the evidence previously given by him at the original inquiry.
On August 15, 1944, the stewards met to consider the charge. As a result of their deliberations they disqualified Leslie Gordon Scanlan for life along with the horse Lucky Hit – declaring it to be a ‘ring-in.’
THIS STORY IS REPRODUCED COURTESY OF THE OLD ‘TRUTH’ NEWSPAPER OF OCTOBER 1, 1944.
THE PHOTOGRAPH OF THE INFAMOUS ‘FINE COTTON – BOLD PERSONALITY’ FINISH AT EAGLE FARM IN AUGUST, 1984, IS REPRODUCED COURTESY OF THE AGE NEWSPAPER.
