National Horseracing Authority sketches its case against Tony Peter

The contents of two Checkers supermarket shopping bags and a Ziplock sandwich bag, along with allegations of evidence being shoved down tracksuit pants, are key elements in charges being brought against Highveld trainer Tony Peter and his parents by the National Horseracing Authority (NHA).

A press release issued this week by NHA racing control executive Arnold Hyde stated that the plastic bags were the subjects of dispute when a now-infamous “incident” took place at Peter’s Turffontein stable yard on 25 November – Summer Cup day at the Joburg racecourse.

Hyde said charges would be brought against “Messrs AP Peter (trainer), PA Peter (assistant trainer) and MD Peter (stable employee)” at an inquiry on Wednesday 24 January 2024, commencing at 11am.

Among the more sensational NHA allegations is that, when investigators with video cameras arrived to search for evidence of suspected horse doping, Tony Peter’s mother Marcel ran out of the stables, “with the evidence concealed in two Checkers carrier bags, which was then shoved down the inside of her tracksuit trousers”.

Call for public inquiry

It must be said that the Peters have very different versions of these and other events mentioned in the charge sheet, which they would rather put before the inquiry than make public now.

They and other racing observers have called for the inquiry to be held in public and/or live streamed.

It should also be noted that Tony Peter was not at his stables when the controversial incident took place, being occupied with saddling runners on the early card of the Summer Cup meeting. Indeed, one of those horses won Race 1 on the programme.

After the altercation between the NHA officials and people at the yard, at some time between 10am and 11am, the NHA summarily scratched all Peter’s runners for the rest of the day and imposed a suspension on him racing any horses until further notice.

This ban was lifted within hours, with talk of legal action in the air.

Doping allegations

The NHA press release, after a lengthy preamble about rules covering the investigation, states: “It is alleged that you all, together, acting with a common purpose and in concert with each other, at Turffontein Racecourse, on 2023-11-25, did unlawfully and intentionally administer a substance, by way of a nasogastric tube, to a horse known as Flying Bull at Block C, stable block, Turffontein Racecourse, in contravention of Rule 72.1.23.”

The NHA goes on to allege the family interfered with an investigation “by handing possible evidence (of the unlawful administration of a substance to a horse under your control – namely Flying Bull) to Mrs Marcel Peter, which evidence was contained within TWO Checkers carrier bags”.

Marcel then “escaped from the racecourse, in a vehicle driven by Mr Marc Dominic Peter” with the Checkers bags shoved down her trousers, says the release.

Someone else (presumably father Paul Peter) then interfered with the investigator “by reaching for and grabbing and concealing on your person, a clear plastic Ziplock bag, which had previously contained the substance that was administered to Flying Bull”, says the release.

Alternatively, it says, this person tried to avoid being searched “by dishonestly declaring that you were not a ‘registered person’, whereas at all material times you knew that you were registered as an assistant trainer”.

It asserts that the accused “proceeded to empty the Ziplock bag of all the white powder therein, so as to hinder the special investigator from seizing it as evidence, fully knowing that by repeatedly emptying the
bag, there would be no evidence left to analyse, to be able to confirm the contents”.

The press release then says Tony Peter failed to present Flying Bull for a blood test.

Family defence

The Peters, however, say they demanded all their horses be tested for doping immediately after they were scratched. This was done to all those horses present in the saddling area at the Turffontein course proper.
Flying Bull had not been walked to the saddling area as he was due to race in a much later race. When officials demanded the horse be presented for a test, the trainer was already in consultation with his
legal team and was unable to get Flying Bull moved in time, according to the family.

Weeks after the incident, reports revealed that Tony Peter was planning to sue the NHA for defamation – to the tune of R70-million. The NHA then made it known it had hired high-profile investigator Paul
O’Sullivan to help build its case against Peter.

The NHA press release said O’Sullivan’s company had completed its investigation and charges could now be brought.