Australian Jockey Danny Nikolic to fight assault charges

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Today at 1:35pm MELBOURNE, April 3 AAP - Star jockey Danny Nikolic has denied assaulting a fellow rider at a Melbourne racetrack. Nikolic, 37, is facing three charges of assault against jockey Mark Pegus at Caulfield on January 18, 2011. He is also charged with unlawfully assaulting a woman, reported to be the partner of Pegus, at a St Kilda hotel on March 7, 2011. Nikolic's lawyer told a brief hearing in the Magistrates Court of Victoria in Melbourne on Tuesday his client admitted he was at the racetrack and hotel where the alleged assaults occurred but denied any involvement. CCTV footage described by Nikolic's defence as "at best unclear" will make up part of the police evidence. Nikolic is regarded as one of Australia's top jockeys, winning the 2003 Caulfield Cup on Mummify and riding feature race winners in every state. His success in the saddle has been accompanied by frequent brushes with racing authorities that have led to numerous suspensions. Nikolic faces a total of six charges stemming from three separate incidents in 2011. He is charged with assaulting a police officer, making menacing phone calls, recklessly causing injury, intentionally causing injury and two counts of unlawful assault. The jockey appeared in court but made no comment to the media as he left. Nikolic, who was charged in the lead-up to last year's Melbourne Cup, will return to court for a contested hearing on November 14, during this year's spring racing carnival. Click the "like" button on the Punters Paradise Facebook page to receive our news directly to your facebook feed, along with extra photos, discussions, newsletters, free tips and special betting offers. Cheers, Mark Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk