Champion jockey Daniel Nikolic and lawyer Patrick Lennon face court over alleged $177,000 attempted burglary

A former champion jockey and his ex-lawyer mate have appeared in court accused of attempting to steal luxury goods from a Melbourne home. Daniel Mario Nikolic, 50, and Patrick Lennon, 61, were self-represented in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday for a brief filing hearing of the charges. Police allege the pair broke into a Berkeley St townhouse in Carlton about 2am on January 9 this year. They were allegedly arrested at the scene and later charged with burglary and theft. Prosecutor Michael Roper told the court the value of the items the two men allegedly attempted to steal, previously listed as an “unknown amount” in charge sheets, had been updated to $177,000. The items included jewellery and a Toyota Hilux, Mr Roper said. There was some confusion after the court was told Mr Nikolic, a Caulfield Cup winner who rode multiple Group One winners over a storied career, also faced an assault charge. He said the charge was from a “couple of years back” and he’d been advised by lawyers the charges were dropped. “This is the first I’ve heard about it since,” he said. Magistrate Belinda Wallington said according to the court the case was still listed and urged Mr Nikolic to seek legal advice. “It hasn’t gone away Mr Nikolic it is here, you'll need to speak to a lawyer about it,” she said. The two men will return to court on May 13.