Embattled jockey Danny Nikolic bounced back the day after being issued with two charges by Racing Victoria stewards when he rode Not A Pretender to an all-the-way victory in the $250,000 Inglis Premier at Caulfield.The Royal Academy two-year-old filly was a $65,000 purchase at the Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale by Nathan Tinkler's Patinack Farm Racing Syndicate.She was far too good for her opposition in what was effectively a maiden as none of the 10 runners had won a race.Having her third star
Embattled jockey Danny Nikolic bounced back the day after being issued with two charges by Racing Victoria stewards when he rode Not A Pretender to an all-the-way victory in the $250,000 Inglis Premier at Caulfield.
The Royal Academy two-year-old filly was a $65,000 purchase at the Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale by Nathan Tinkler's Patinack Farm Racing Syndicate.
She was far too good for her opposition in what was effectively a maiden as none of the 10 runners had won a race.
Having her third start and wearing blinkers for the first time, Not A Pretender ($3.70 fav) had too much toe over the 1200m and scored by 4-1/4 lengths from Merger Benefits ($5) with Marvellous Miss ($12) a neck away third.
Patinack Farm's Victorian-based racing coordinator Sharni Officer said the team had 12 horses based in this state.
Not A Pretender, who had run fourth to Beneteau at Randwick and third to Decision Time on the Kensington track in Sydney, shifted out in the straight but Nikolic said she had a bit on the opposition.
"She was a bit awkward in the mouth, she probably just got a little cut or has a bad habit of hanging because they had the correct gear on her and the bit wasn't going through her mouth but she was quite awkward to steer," Nikolic said.
"I was told to ride her positive from the barriers and get to the front with the rail to follow.
"Perhaps there wasn't much behind her but she did all the work and kicked solidly. She's a bit light and fizzy and does a bit wrong but she's a nice filly and I'd say she has a good future."
Stewards had been investigating 10 of Nikolic's rides over a four-month period from September 1 and had been looking at all betting on those particular events.
On Friday he was charged with using his mobile phone at Flemington races on January 1 without stewards' permission to contact professional punter and commission agent Neville Clements.
Both Nikolic and Clements have been charged with failing to comply with a stewards' directive to produce their mobile phone "contacts".
Nikolic claims that Clements does form for him and the call to him was related only to the tempo of the Bagot Hcp (2800m) which he won aboard Atlantic Air.
No charges have been laid on any of the 10 rides under investigation but the 35-year-old said the probe had taken its toll on him as he had only two rides at Moonee Valley on Friday night and just three at Caulfield on Saturday.
He said it was an invasion of privacy to give up his complete contacts but was prepared to give stewards names of people whose numbers were listed on the records.
Lawyer and Australian Jockeys' Association chairman Ross Inglis has backed Nikolic up saying that privacy laws overruled the authority of RVL stewards to demand jockeys hand over mobile phones.