Racing: End of road for top training team

One of the leading training partnerships in New Zealand racing has split up following the sudden resignation of Andrew Scott.

Scott would not comment yesterday on his resignation from his partnership with Mike Moroney but it is believed he has been head-hunted by former champion jockey and now trainer Lance O'Sullivan.

Moroney said Scott resigned last Friday and the Waikato partnership would cease at the end of the month.

Scott, 30, has been Moroney's training partner for more than five years and before that worked for him for a year or so.

The partnership, based at Matamata, has throughout that time been one of the leading stables in New Zealand and last Saturday posted its 10th group one win when Joker's Wild took out the $150,000 Diamond Stakes for two-year-olds at Ellerslie.

Scott, however, was yesterday unwilling to talk about his decision.

"I've got no comment at this stage," Scott said. "I haven't got anything to say."

Moroney, who also operates stables in Melbourne, said from Australia that Scott said he had been offered a job by fellow Matamata trainer O'Sullivan.

Scott did not want to be drawn on that matter either.

Asked if it could be reported he was joining O'Sullivan, the response was: "No."

O'Sullivan was also not commenting yesterday.

"I just don't want to be talk about it at the moment," O'Sullivan told NZPA. "I am saying nothing."

Moroney said he was disappointed Scott had resigned.

"We have been a successful combination for a while," he said.

"It's always disappointing when that sort of thing ends."

Moroney said much of his disappointment came from the loyalty he had shown in Scott when he twice landed himself in hot water with racing officials.

Scott was fined $5000 [and costs of $1600] for bringing detriment to the image of racing and for a dishonest act in lying about why he wanted to use the swab box before the running of the 2003 Kelt Capital Stakes at Hastings.

It was found Scott had injected his horse Penny Gem in the swab box with a homeopathic substance on the day at the track.

The horse was scratched from the race although subsequent blood and urine tests did not reveal any prohibited substances.

Then last year Scott was disqualified for five months when it was found he had falsified a document which was supposed to have proved he had sought approval for a horse to race in blinkers.

In a statement yesterday, Moroney said: " ... naturally I am disappointed that Andrew is leaving, especially given the loyalty Ballymore Stables and its clients have given him in the past."

Moroney said he was not sure of the reasons for Scott's departure.

"I think he just wants to move on and try something different.

"I think he wanted a bit of a change, from what I can work out."

He said the resignation came out of the blue.

"It did come as a sudden shock. But we just have to box on."

Moroney said his brother Paul would fill the breach while a replacement training partner was found.

Paul Moroney, the stable's racing manager and a bloodstock agent, trained in partnership with Mike Moroney for the five months when Scott was disqualified.

Mike Moroney said he would be in New Zealand at the end of the month when a replacement could be finalised.

"We have made an approach to someone [within New Zealand] but they are going to get back to us."

In the meantime, he said, it would be business as usual.

"Ballymore Stables is not built on one person and that was shown while Andrew served his [disqualification] time last season.

"Andrew is a talented horseman and has good organisational and people skills but it has been the whole team around me who have provided the success of the stable and that will continue."

Moroney said Scott had been prepared to stay on until the end of the present season on July 31 but felt it was better he left sooner rather than later.

"I see no point in us carrying on now that he has made his choice to leave," Moroney said.

Scott's resignation came on the heels of the news that stable star Xcellent would not race for 18 months after it was confirmed the horse had suffered a second tendon injury.

- NZPA