A PROFESSIONAL punter laid ''a substantial amount of money'' which ''far exceeded his usual or historical betting pattern'' on at least eight of Dan Nikolic's mounts shortly after speaking on the phone with the jockey, racing's judiciary heard yesterday, reports The Age.It says: The Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board was told that between November last year and January, punter Neville Clements laid eight horses ridden by Nikolic to lose races on betting exchange Betfair. Clements collected on

A PROFESSIONAL punter laid ''a substantial amount of money'' which ''far exceeded his usual or historical betting pattern'' on at least eight of Dan Nikolic's mounts shortly after speaking on the phone with the jockey, racing's judiciary heard yesterday, reports The Age.

It says: The Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board was told that between November last year and January, punter Neville Clements laid eight horses ridden by Nikolic to lose races on betting exchange Betfair. Clements collected on all but one of the bets.

The board yesterday reserved its decision to a date to be fixed on the charge that Nikolic, under Australian Rule of Racing 175 (p), failed to comply with any order, direction or requirement of the stewards when he refused to surrender his mobile phone to stewards when directed during an investigation into a number of his rides.

Richard Smith, SC, appearing for Nikolic, said the submissions made to the board by the stewards' representative Paul Holdenson, QC, should not have been heard by the media as it was ''waffle'' and little more than a smear campaign that had nothing to do with the charge that his client was facing yesterday.

''It is an attempt to smear without going anywhere,'' he said. ''None [of Holdenson's submissions] were necessary to make. They are devastating and will be devastating when published.

''No charges were laid by the stewards and there is no indication that charges will be laid. The stewards have looked at the film until they are blue in the face and have not charged. It's a disgrace.''

A further charge against Nikolic under racing rule 160B (3) for using his telephone to call Clements during the January 1 race meeting at Flemington without the permission of stewards has been deferred to a date to be fixed.

Holdenson said that stewards are continuing with their inquiries and have not said ''that Nikolic had pulled up any horse''. But he said that any refusal to comply with a stewards' order undermines or impedes the way an inquiry is conducted.

During his submission, Holdenson told the board that the stewards' investigations into a number of beaten rides of Nikolic's had disclosed that:

*Clements has a personal relationship with Nikolic.

*He engaged in frequent telephone contact with Nikolic.

*He laid on Betfair substantial amounts of money on at least eight horses ridden by Nikolic.

*The frequent telephone contact is ''proximate and indeed precedes the timing of the races'' in which Clements has laid the eight racehorses.

*Each and all of the horses have been beaten except one, which was laid to miss a place. He did run a place.

Smith said in pressing Nikolic for his mobile phone, the stewards were on a ''huge fishing exercise''. ''We say it was not reasonable or proper for stewards to ask for his entire list of contacts,'' Smith told the board.