John Singleton's fight with Gai Waterhouse

Surely there's a conflict of interest when Gai Waterhouse is allowed to train rich men's horses while her son Tom is the biggest bookmaker in the country?  Isn't it a bit like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse?

Tom's father Robbie 

Gai's husband Robbie was banned from stepping foot on an Australian racetrack for seventeen years when a committee found he was involved in the Fine Cotton affair. 

Robbie and father Tom Snr

Fine Cotton was an eight year old brown gelding with white markings on his hind legs and Bold Personality was a seven year old bay gelding with no markings.  The amateur scammers used Clairol hair dye to change Bold Personality's colour but forgot to use peroxide to whiten his legs and at the last minute, used white paint instead.  It was a pathetic plan that was doomed to fail.

Long friendship now over

The punishment of exile created a problem for Robbie's wife Gai Waterhouse, daughter of training legend Tommy J Smith, who applied for a trainer's licence from the AJC.  After a lot of pressure from Gai, she was finally granted her licence and is now one of the top trainers in the country.

Tom with his dad Robbie

John Singleton and Gai Waterhouse have been good friends for years but it's now over.  He believes Tom told insiders before the race that his horse wasn't fit to run and he's so upset, he's removed all his horses from Gai's stables.

Mother and son

There is a very good reason why Singo should find another trainer.  If Gai has two horses and Singo has one running in the same race, naturally Tom would be interested to know that one wasn't up to winning.  And that's why Singleton is livid - he says that Tom knew before the race that his horse More Joyous shouldn't run, and the question has to be answered - did he get insider information from his mother?

Rugby League great Andrew Jones said he quizzed Tom about Saturday's race meet and he "didn't like" the champion mare's chances of winning.  "Tom replied that he didn't like It's a Dundeel, More Joyous or All Too Hard" he said.

Tom Waterhouse vehemently denies any wrongdoing and said "I did not tell anyone that More Joyous was lame or that she couldn't win.  I actually really liked More Joyous and backed her to win and lost $300,000 on the race." 

Andrew Johns said he was prepared to testify at the hearing to explain his involvement in the dispute.