Group 1 winning jockey Adam Hyeronimus and his cousin, stablehand Blake Paine, have been found guilty on 30 charges relating to betting offences.
Racing NSW Stewards released their findings on Monday, July 20, outlining that Hyeronimus and Paine had been found guilty of all but one betting offence charge. A string of text messages between the pair is said to be the most damning evidence.
From 2016 to 2019, Hyeronimus would place bets through Paine, transferring him money under the description of ‘savings’ or ‘gift’. The jockey had an interest in betting on two of his own rides, with the remainder of offences made up of races he was not involved in.
The two gallopers Hyeronimus rode and showed interest to place bets on were Lucky Meteor on November 5, 2016, and Limbo Soul on February 22, 2017. The latter won by 3.3L as a $3.20 favourite, whereas Lucky Meteor placed third.
The only charge the pair was not found guilty on was a bet Paine placed on Gingeralla in a race in Singapore in early 2019.
“On 22 of the 31 occasions that the Stewards allege bets were placed for Mr Hyeronimus by Mr Paine the following pattern of conduct occurred. Mr Hyeronimus deposited a sum of money into Mr Paine’s NetBank Saver account”, the Racing NSW Stewards report explained.
“On the same day, Mr Paine then transferred that exact amount on 11 occasions or a similar amount on a further 11 occasions (but not less than the original transfer from Mr Hyeronimus) from his NetBank Saver account into this Complete Access account.
“On the same day, Mr Paine then transferred the exact amount transferred into his Complete Access account on 19 occasions or a similar amount on 3 occasions (but not less than the original transfer from the Netbank Saver account) to a Sportsbet account in the name of Mr Paine.
“The transferred funds were then used to place bets using the Sportsbet account in the name of Mr Paine.”
Determination of Charges – Adam Hyeronimus & Blake Paine – https://t.co/LN1lUuEf3r pic.twitter.com/Vyb89yI0gJ
— Racing NSW (@racing_nsw) July 20, 2020
At the hearing earlier this month, both Hyeronimus and Paine pleaded not guilty to all charges. They are facing bans from the sport, but have the right to appeal the charges. A date to decide the sentence has not yet been announced.
Hyeronimus rode as recently as Monday, and in March recorded his very first Group 1 win, riding Shout The Bar to victory in the Vinery Stud Stakes at Rosehill.
