POLICE are investigating a serious case of fraud at one of Australia's richest and most prominent horse studs.
Darley is the breeding arm of the thoroughbred racing stable Godolphin, which produced this year's Melbourne Cup runner-up Crime Scene.
In September police were alerted to a case of fraud involving $800,000 at Darley stud's Australian headquarters at Aberdeen, in the Hunter Valley. No charges have yet been laid.
The group is owned by Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and is part of his global breeding operation spanning six countries. In Australia, Darley owns studs in Aberdeen and Denman in the Hunter Valley, Cootamundra, and Seymour in Victoria.
The alleged fraudulent transactions occurred at Aberdeen between January 2007 and March 2009, and were discovered during an independent audit.
This year's Melbourne Cup winner Shocking was sired by one of Darley's stallions, Street Cry, who this year commanded a stud fee of $110,000.
Darley's managing director Henry Plumptre declined to comment on the fraud investigation.
Email a friend