Horses switched

Press, 25 September 1978, Page 18

Horses switched

NZPA-Reuter New York A prominent New York veterinarian, Dr Mark Gerard, has been found innocent of switching two South American racehorses in a race in which he won SUS7B,OOO in bets. But a jury found him guilty on two counts of entering a horse in a race under a false name. The case concerned Uruguay’s 1976 three-year-old champion. Cinzano, which ran in a race at Belmont Park on Long Island on September 23 last year instead of an inferior horse. Lebon. Dr Gerard collected $U577,920 in bets on Cinzano, which was at odds of 57-to-l. Dr Gerard, who is 44, was indicted in Nassau County last December on charges of grand larceny for stealing a horse, stealing Insurance money, falsifying business records, filing a false insurance claim and two counts of entering a horse in a race under a false name. The jury found him innocent of the first four charges, one of which — falsifying business records — is the technical term for switching horses in a race. Dr Gerard maintained throughout the trial that he destroyed Cinzano in June. 1977, after the horse fractured his skull —in an accident in his stall shortly after arriving from Urugay with Lebon. But Dr Gerard’s estranged wife, Alice, the only witness called by the defence lawyer. Mr F. Lee Baiiey, testified that she had switched the horses, and did so without the knowledge of her husband. She said she did not inform him of the switch until late October or early November, 1977. Mr Bailey said he would appeal against the verdict. The two guilty counts. both misdemeanours, each carry a maximum penalty of one year in prison. Judge Raymond Harrington set November 2 for sentencing and continued to set bail at SUSIOO.OOO.