The violent criminal, the billionaire’s son, the $20k payment and the Melbourne Cup-winning horse

3 months ago 16

Prominent Victorian thoroughbred owner Nick Williams paid $20,000 to a violent criminal and former stable hand who repeatedly demanded money he claimed he was owed for helping to prepare 2007 Melbourne Cup winner Efficient.

Williams, the son of seven-time Melbourne Cup-winning horse owner and property developer Lloyd Williams, provided evidence of the payment in response to questions from The Age about a conversation he had with former Macedon Lodge employee Mark Dosen at Flemington Racecourse in 2023.

Thoroughbred owner Nick Williams speaks to former Macedon Lodge employee Mark Dosen in front of The Grandstand at Flemington Racecourse in 2023.

Footage sent to The Age shows Nick Williams leaning on a rail in front of Flemington’s mounting yard and chatting with Dosen in the shadow of The Grandstand. Speaking through his lawyer, Nick Williams claimed Dosen threatened him and his family during the conversation before the covert recording commenced. The 4½-minute meeting took place in full view of the public. It begins and ends with the men shaking hands.

The lawyer said his client was in 2024 approached by Dosen again and “stood over” in relation to money Dosen believed he was owed for his role in the preparation of champion gelding Efficient, which won the 2007 Melbourne Cup. Williams believed Dosen had already been paid what he was entitled to as a stable hand, according to his lawyer, Nathan Kuperholz. He described Dosen’s behaviour as “menacing” in regard to his “repeated demands” for the $20,000 payment.

Dosen has a string of convictions for blackmail, arson, kidnapping, fraud, aggravated burglary and recklessly causing injury and has spent almost a decade in jail. He was imprisoned in 2018 over a 2016 incident in which he similarly demanded a $20,000 payment from the former Macedon Lodge vet who sacked him in 2009. The lawyer said Dosen had not disclosed previous criminal convictions when he began working for the prominent racing family.

People with a criminal history and an association with the horse racing industry are sometimes banned from racecourses in Victoria via exclusion orders issued by Victoria Police. Similar orders apply to casinos. A Victoria Police spokeswoman would not comment on whether Dosen had been banned over his extensive criminal history, citing privacy issues, and it is not clear whether he is on such a list.

Mark Dosen with Efficient after the horse won the 2007 Melbourne Cup.

Separately, people can also be banned or “warned off” racetracks by Racing Victoria, the industry regulator. Their attendance is policed by race clubs, security and integrity officials. RV confirmed Dosen was not on that list. The Victoria Racing Club, which runs the Flemington racecourse, did not respond by deadline.

Nick Williams’ lawyer said his client had notified police of his interactions with Dosen, including his plan to pay him. It is not clear whether police took any action as a result of those complaints and Williams’ lawyer did not respond to a specific question about when the police complaint was made.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said she was unable to locate an official report on Williams’ payment of money to Dosen, based on the details available.

“Given the circumstances outlined, we would certainly encourage that person to come forward and make a report to police,” the spokeswoman said.

Mark Dosen celebrates Efficient’s victory at Flemington in 2007.

In a text message exchange supplied by Kuperholz, Nick Williams tells Dosen he will pay him the money.

“I would pay you this money on the basis that you or anyone on your behalf agree to not contact, intimidate and/or threaten my employees both past and present, family and myself at anytime [sic],” the message from December 17, 2024 read. Dosen then asked for $50,000 before agreeing to the earlier offer and Williams sent him a receipt confirming the bank transfer of $20,000.

The Age attempted to contact Dosen. Attempts were also made to contact the vet he attacked in 2016, but he did not respond and The Age has chosen not to name him.

Dosen broke into the home of the vet and whipped him with a belt, punched him in front of his wife and young daughter and threatened to kill the man unless he handed over $20,000. He then abducted him and drove him to a bank, claiming he (Dosen) had helped train Efficient and was entitled to a share of its winnings, County Court judge Paul Grant was told at the trial.

After his arrest and while on remand, Dosen sent a letter to the vet attempting to blackmail him into changing his statement, threatening his family would be hurt.

The Age approached Nick Williams in person and with written questions, but all responses were provided by his lawyer. Follow-up questions and attempts to clarify information about police reports were met with legal threats.

Nick Williams with mother Suzie and trainer Graeme Rogerson after their horse Efficient won the 2007 Melbourne Cup.

Kuperholz accused this masthead of relying on the “words and conduct of a serial criminal offender who continues to adopt repeated standover and blackmail tactics”.

“Frankly, my clients consider your repeated approaches as an impertinence, a total invasion of their privacy and outlandish,” Kuperholz wrote.

Efficient’s victory in the 2007 Melbourne Cup was breathtaking. The grey gelding flashed home out wide with a withering run to mow down leader Purple Moon on the line, handing Lloyd Williams his third Melbourne Cup.

The elder Williams won again with other horses in 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2020.

Efficient had won the VRC Derby the year before but had been disappointing since, failing to run a place in his next six starts leading up to the Melbourne Cup. He started at odds of about 20-1.

Lloyd Williams supervised all facets of the training business, down to the hands-on preparation of his individual horses.

He employed a succession of private trainers at Macedon Lodge – Graeme Rogerson, John Sadler, Robert Hickmott and Liam Howley – but they were rarely permitted to speak to media outlets before or after races. New Zealander Rogerson is listed as Efficient’s trainer on the Melbourne Cup honour roll.

Macedon Lodge is the elite private training complex formerly owned by Lloyd Williams. It is set among rolling hills at Macedon, about a 45-minute drive north-west of Melbourne off the Calder Freeway.

The Williams family stopped training from the property in 2019, farming their horses out to public trainers, and sold it for a reported $20 million in 2022 to pub baron Bruce Dixon.

In a 2009 Sky Racing interview, Nick Williams denied his father had imposed a media ban on their staff. But he said Macedon Lodge had a corporate structure in place that meant all communications were handled by the Williamses and not the trainer or jockeys.

“Lloyd Williams speaks and if he is not available then Nick Williams speaks,” he said.

Nick Williams has publicly spoken of wild celebrations with Melbourne music promoter Michael Gudinski after horses they co-owned won the coveted Melbourne Cup.

Victoria Police has the power to exclude people from the state’s race tracks, including Flemington.

Williams and Gudinski, who grew up next to Caulfield racecourse, shared ownership in three Melbourne Cup-winning horses – Almandin in 2016, Rekindling in 2017 and Twilight Payment in 2020.

Another horse that Gudinski owned with the Williamses, called Homesman, won the Australian Cup at Flemington five days after Gudinski’s death in March 2021.

Lloyd Williams is held in awe in racing circles for his ability to source horses capable of winning the Melbourne Cup and is known for his friendship with business tycoon and fearless gambler the late Kerry Packer.

The pair owned a number of horses together, including 1987 Sydney Cup winner Major Drive and 1993 VRC Derby winner Mahogany, and were famous for landing million-dollar betting plunges.

Williams now owns horses with Packer’s son, James, including stayer Point King, which runs in Williams’ navy and white silks.