Sean Buckley gets to keep Cox Plate cash Chad Schofield celebrates on Shamus Award. Racing identity Sean Buckley has won his legal battle with the Tax Office over his share of the $1.8 million prizemoney for winning this year's Cox Plate. The Federal Court has ruled the Australian Taxation Office can not seize Mr Buckley's share of the prize as part of its bid to recoup more than $11.5 million in taxes owed by the owner of the UltraTune auto service franchise. Payment of the purse was put in doubt when a garnishee notice was issued to Racing Victoria just days after Mr Buckley's three-year old colt, Shamus Award, scored an upset win in the Cox Plate. Mr Buckley's company, Ultra Thoroughbred Racing, applied to the Federal Court to have the notice set aside. On Tuesday afternoon, Justice Tony Pagone ruled that even though Mr Buckley is the registered owner of half the horse, the share actually belongs to a company he controls, Ultra Thoroughbred Racing. The judge found that the company, not Mr Buckley, was entitled to the prize money under a contract signed in 2005. Therefore, Racing Victoria was not required to give the money to the ATO to pay down Mr Buckley's tax debt. The court action froze Mr Buckley's half of the horse's winnings during the Spring Racing Carnival - $900,000 from the Cox Plate and $43,000 from running third in the Caulfield Guineas. The other half of Shamus Award belongs to a syndicate headed by Alice Springs trainer Viv Oldfield. A tax office investigation found Mr Buckley had underpaid his taxes for eight years from 2003 and no income tax returns had been lodged in 2010, 2011 or 2012. Lawyers for Mr Buckley have disputed the $11.5 million tax bill and slammed the ATO for making ""fundamental errors"" in their assessments. ""The ATO has not met with Mr Buckley's representatives; nor has it expeditiously dealt with his objections,"" solicitor Gaspare Sirianni said. ""Again, we invite the ATO to the table so that the proper amount payable, if any, can be established."" Separately, Mr Buckley was last month hit with a $1.5 million bill after losing a lawsuit over an investment in a failed forestry scheme.