A JURY has been shown surveillance vision from a helicopter of a property near Tamworth where a horse was allegedly drenched, shortly before its trainer was arrested in 2013.
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Cody Glenn Morgan is standing trial charged with entering into an agreement to treat Prussian Secret before the 2013 Gunnedah Cup, to corrupt the betting outcome of the May 12 race to gain a financial advantage.
On Friday, the jury in Tamworth District Court saw for the first the police operation which unfolded on the race day, culminating in Morgan's arrest.
Officer-in-charge of the Strike Force Trentbridge investigation, Detective Senior Constable Paul King, returned to the witness box to give evidence, telling the jury the search warrant was granted on May 10 before officers from the Firearms and Organised Crime Squads as well as the police Casino, Gaming and Racing Unit arrived for the search warrant at Morgan's Attunga property.
He said undercover operatives watched the property between 9am and 2.05pm on that day, while an undercover officer conducted surveillance in a helicopter.
A 20-minute video of Prussian Secret being lead out of the stables and attended to at the property was also played.
“It’s the Crown case that [even though you can’t see it] ... the horse Prussian Secret was drenched between chapter one and chapter two,” Crown prosecutor Jane Krippner told the court of the video.
The jury was also shown photos of the bucket, tube and other equipment seized from the property, which police allege was used to drench Prussian Secret on the day of the Gunnedah Cup.
Forensic analysis of residue found in the bucket, alleged to be the drench solution, was also tendered in evidence along with results from three blood samples taken from the horse following the police raid.
The results showed an increasing level of carbon dioxide, or TCO2, in the horse’s bloodstream, but the peak was 32.5 which is below the racing threshold of 36 set by authorities for competing horses.
Racing Victoria’s head vet Dr Brian Stewart gave evidence that, based on the results and steady rise of the TCO2 levels, Prussian Secret could have been administered an alkalising substance beforehand.
“It certainly would be suspicious of an alkalising agent,” he told the court. He said the alkaline substance offered greater endurance for a horse because it “will have the capacity to buffer lactic acid.”
“And delay the onset of fatigue ... and, by that, enhance performance,” he said.
Under cross-examination from Morgan’s barrister, the court heard even if Prussian Secret had raced, it wouldn’t have breached any racing thresholds, only that horses are prohibited from being stomach-tubed a day before any race.
The trial will resume on Monday.
