Aquanita eight found guilty

The Aquanita case represented one of the darkest and longest chapters in the history of the Australian turf as it featured "a litany of brazen attempts to cheat" the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board has found.

The three-person Board issued their guilty verdicts at Melbourne's County Court on Tuesday morning for all 271 charges against eight people, in the ground-breaking investigation that has become known as the Aquanita Inquiry.

The Board will return on Thursday morning to hear submissions on penalty before issuing penalties to those charged.

Trainer Robert Smerdon, who the Board described as "the most prominent and leading trainer of the group" is facing a possible lifetime ban from thoroughbred racing following his guilty verdicts.

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Article written by: Andrew Eddy