Daniel Smith lands two winners on return from five-year betting ban

Australian jockey Daniel Smith, formerly known as Terry Treichel, has returned from a five-year betting ban with two winners from four rides.

Smith won aboard Wild Monarch and Woodrow at Taree in New South Wales on Monday, 31 August. It was his first race meeting since December 2020. It was also his first appearance under the legal name Daniel Smith.

The return follows one of Australian racing’s most unusual integrity cases. It involved betting accounts, a name change and false licence declarations.

Two winners on first day back

Racing NSW confirmed before the meeting that Smith had been cleared to resume riding and had accepted four bookings at Taree.

His comeback began with victory on odds-on favourite Wild Monarch in the opening 1,000-metre maiden. He followed that with another win on Woodrow in race three.

His remaining mounts, Gandolfini and Deebee’s Girl, finished eighth and 11th respectively.  

Smith had ridden more than 1,200 winners before his disqualification. This included during his time as a champion jockey in Australia’s Northern Territory. His first two rides after nearly six years away both ended in victory.

Betting offences led to disqualification

Thoroughbred Racing Northern Territory opened an inquiry into Smith’s betting activity and issued 32 charges. He pleaded guilty to 30 betting-related offences and two charges involving false declarations.

The  betting findings included 27 wagers on races in which Smith was riding between July 2019 and December 2020. Sixteen concerned his own mounts, while 11 involved other runners in those races. He also admitted placing 168 bets on other Australian thoroughbred races while licensed as a jockey.

The wagers connected to races in which he rode totalled A$1,840. Turnover on the other races was approximately A$10,500. Stewards said there was no evidence Smith rode in a way that corrupted the outcome of any race.

Name change formed part of the case

Smith had legally changed his name from Terry Charles Treichel to Daniel Jack Smith. However, he continued to apply for jockey licences using his former name while operating betting accounts under his legal identity.

Stewards described the combination of the undisclosed name change and volume of betting as unprecedented in Australian racing.

The original sanction announced in 2021 totalled eight years. More recent accounts state that Smith completed a five-year disqualification. There was a three-year penalty for the false declarations running concurrently.

The ban was backdated to 18 December 2020, when his licence was suspended, and expired in December 2025.

Racing NSW approves return

Racing NSW subsequently approved Smith’s application to return and publicly identified him by both his legal and former names.

That disclosure links his new licence and future racing record to the offences committed while he rode as Terry Treichel. His immediate success at Taree now begins the next stage of a career interrupted for almost six years.