RACING Victoria stewards sent shockwaves through the industry on Tuesday afternoon, laying 271 charges against five trainers and three stablehands.

Robert Smerdon, a multiple Group 1-winning trainer and currently in the top five in the State, is facing 115 charges relating to the alleged administration of alkalising agents to horses in a seven-year period between 2010 and 2017 and stablehand/float driver Greg Nelligan is facing 123 charges over the same period.

Other trainers charged are Stuart Webb (three charges), Tony Vasil (seven), Liam Birchley (three) and the currently suspended Trent Pennuto (four).

Yesterday, Smerdon and Webb announced they would stand down while the investigation takes place. They train under the umbrella of Aquanita Racing, a thoroughbred management service providing the facilities, logistics and office staff to the trainers they partner with. Vasil is a former Aquanita trainer and the three stablehands are all Aquanita employees, the other two being Denise Nelligan (13 charges) and Daniel Garland (two).

The inquiry was sparked when Racing Victoria’s integrity team caught Greg Nelligan in the act of administering a sodium bicarbonate paste to the Smerdon-trained Lovani at Flemington in October last year. Lovani was subsequently scratched from her race and the resulting investigations revealed a vast network of impropriety dating back years, the seizure of data from Nelligan’s phone being crucial to these revelations. It is alleged that a systemic practice emerged whereby an Aquanita horse was administered a sodium bicarbonate solution via a tube on race morning which was then ‘topped up’ in a paste form with a modified syringe plunger inside three hours of racing. Aquanita directors, including Melbourne Racing Club chairman Mike Symons, resolutely deny any knowledge of the alleged corrupt behaviour.

With their careers on the line, the “Aquanita Eight” have all been charged under the Australian rule 175(a) which applies to “any dishonest, corrupt or fraudulent, improper or dishonourable action or practice in connection with racing.” Greg Nelligan was also charged in relation to betting activity on Aquanita horses that included “laying them”, or betting to lose.

Racing Victoria’s chief executive Giles Thompson said: “These are very serious allegations and the Racing Victoria Integrity Services Department and our stewards have worked swiftly to fully investigate these matters resulting in the laying of charges against eight people today.”