Udy tight-lipped on greyhound drug scandal

DRUG CHEAT: Disgraced greyhound owner David Scott pleaded guilty to charges of corruption and supplying a banned substance at a hearing on Monday. PHOTO/MARTIN HUNTER

The Whanganui greyhound trainer at the centre of an industry drug scandal remains tight-lipped about the ordeal that ended with dog owner and administrator David Scott fined and banned for 11years.

Nathan Udy is being hailed the good guy after co-operating fully with the New Zealand Racing Integrity Unit that investigated Scott's illegal activities involving dogs he owned and were trained by Udy.

Scott was disqualified from all racing for 11 years, fined $10,000 and ordered to pay $13,000 in costs at a hearing at Wellington airport on Monday.

Scott was a prominent owner of greyhounds and the central region representative on the New Zealand Greyhound Racing Board, a position he resigned before the hearing.

He pleaded guilty to corruption and supplying a permanently prohibited substance to one of his trainers, but Udy failed to use the substance and eventually reported the incident to the Racing Integrity Unit.

Udy supplied the RIU with text messages from Scott, including threatening ones after the relationship between the two men had gone sour. A charge relating to those threatening texts was eventually dropped. Udy's sister Angela Udy was also allegedly threatened.

The talented 30-year-old trainer, however, declined to comment other than to say he really just wanted to try and move on. Udy's family also declined to comment.

Facebook followers and industry players, however, have praised Udy's actions, hailing him as a hero for having the courage and integrity to report the incident and co-operate fully with the investigation.

Wanganui Greyhound Racing Club president and Palmerston North trainer Bill Hodgson has backed Udy to the hilt.

"I support Nathan 100 per cent and I applaud his actions," Hodgson said. "It has taken a bit of fortitude to do what he's done and he has taken a lot of flak from different ones, mainly David Scott's mates, I think. There's not much else I can say that hasn't already been said, but Nathan did the right thing."