One trainer was fined $50k, the other was banned for a month. This is how their cases differed

November 8, 2026 — 4:00pm

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Blinkers On is a weekly column covering the biggest issues of the spring racing carnival.

On face value, Chris Waller’s $50,000 fine for a Melbourne Cup day indiscretion is a sizable whack.

Not only did the owners of his stayer Asterix miss out on a guaranteed $100,000 in prize money for taking part in the race, the trainer flew out of Melbourne with a lighter wallet.

But even in racing, there are accidents and then there are accidents.

Waller’s large fine was the Freedman stable’s one-month ban. Here’s why.

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Asterix was scratched on the morning of the Cup because it was treated with medication by a staff member on a race day; a forbidden practice, even though the anti-inflammatory oil rubbed onto the gelding’s front legs is available over the counter and not considered performance enhancing.

Waller was charged and fined by stewards with breaching racing rule AR 227 (a) – engaging in conduct that has led to a breach of the rules.

“I respect the decision,” Waller said on Thursday. “I think everyone will have a review of their systems post-carnival. Everyone’s doing their job, everyone’s under pressure.”

In comparison, Anthony and Sam Freedman were disqualified for a month earlier this year after breaching race-day treatment rules.

Similar to Waller, they also blamed the mistake on staff.

But they were charged by stewards with breaching a more serious charge, AR 249 – administration of medication on race day, which comes with a mandatory six-month ban except in mitigating circumstances.

Two Freedman horses were found to be treated with nebulizers – a prescription-only medication allowed to be administered on non-race days via a breathing apparatus to help horses with breathing issues.

So, were the Freedmans harshly done by in comparison to Waller? We’ll let Racing Victoria explain.

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“It is important that the stewards approach each inquiry through its own lens and maintain an open mind,” a Racing Victoria spokesperson told this column.

“The stewards noted some important differences between the two cases in question.

“These differences included the circumstances in which the breach was detected, the number of horses involved, the routes of administration, the products used and the potential to affect performance.”

Staff, the collateral damage

Trainer Nick Ryan........

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