Caulfield Cup-winning jockey Danny Nikolic says he will take stock before making his next move following his acquittal at a Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board hearing on Tuesday.

The RAD Board dismissed four charges surrounding Nikolic’s relationships with disgraced punters Neville Clements, Alessandro Alaimo and Kevin McFarland after finding the RVL stewards’ case failed to meet the required levels of proof to be sustained.

Nikolic said he was relieved to beat the quartet of charges but said the drawn out, and sometimes bitter, investigation and defence had taken its toll on him financially.

“I’m quite relieved to be walking out of here as an innocent person,” Nikolic said. “I can go to the races tomorrow.

“Financially, it has been a big burden but that’s a private matter. I have had two very good legal people, Richard Smith and Paul O’Sullivan. I’ve been in really good hands.

“But it has been very costly.”

Nikolic did not dismiss the possibility of making claims for damages against various outlets but said he would wait and consider his options before he acted.

“I will be looking at things down the track,” Nikolic said. “There have been certain things that have been in the print that are not factually right.

“But I don’t really want to discuss that right now.”

Nikolic said he would be prepared to meet with RVL chief steward Terry Bailey to thrash out any unresolved issues from the case in the near future.

The 38-time Group I-winning jockey said both he and Bailey must find a way to co-exist after clashing heatedly on multiple occasions throughout the six-month investigation.

“I’d be telling a lie if I said it hasn’t become personal,” Nikolic said. “But I am willing to sit down and talk to him (Bailey) and move forward.

“Melbourne is my home. It’s where I make my living and I seem to get the best support in my racing and career here in Melbourne.

“I don’t want to go anywhere. I am sure he doesn’t want to go anywhere so I’m happy to sit down with Des O’Keeffe and anybody else that should be included and do that.”

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