Mark Waugh’s wife Kim charged with animal cruelty

Kim Waugh, the wife of former Australian cricketer Mark Waugh, has been charged with three animal cruelty charges and is set to front a steward hearing this month. The veteran trainer, as per reports, has brushed off the allegations while speaking to his close ones and will be fighting the charges.

On Thursday, May 6, Racing NSW stewards announced that she and jockey Serg Lisnyy have been charged with failures of animal welfare after a thorough investigation back in April. The accusations are related to three-year-old gelding Tarsus and injuries sustained during a Wyong trackwork in March.

Mark Waugh, publicly, has been listed as one of the part-owners of the horse. Kim’s charges include, “failing to exercise reasonable care or supervision to the racehorse Tarsus to prevent an act of cruelty”.

Mark Waugh’s wife in trouble

Kim has also been slapped with charges of failing to report an alleged act of mistreatment and improper conduct towards an employee said to have reported the alleged mistreatment.

As far as Lisnyy’s charges are concerned, they relate to accusations of using spurs that were too sharp and using them “in a manner that mistreated the horse and resulted in Tarsus sustaining injuries to its off-side flank region”.

Waugh will front the hearing on May 20, at the Racing NSW headquarters. As per the charges, Lisnyy used spurs that were not blunt enough. But the jockey was of the opinion that he will fight the charges publicly.

“I don’t think the charges are right. They were normal spurs and similar to ones used by kids at pony club. I will be protesting my innocence and these charges are not good for business,” he said.

In more than 30 years in the racing industry, it’s Waugh’s first welfare charges. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Waugh didn’t attend the trackwork session in which Tarsus was alleged to have gotten the injuries.

If reports are to be believed, Waugh’s Central Coast stable garnered stunning prize money of more than $1.4 million since January 2020.

As far as cricket is concerned, Mark Waugh was one of the prolific all-rounders of his country. After hanging his boots, he is currently a dignified commentator.