• Five owners, a trainer and jockey charged with conspiring to commit a corrupt and fraudulent practice.
• Travelling head lad charged with passing information for reward.
INVESTIGATION ONE
Trainer Paul Blockley, jockey Dean McKeown, racehorse owners Clive Whiting, Derek Lovatt and Martyn Wakefield, former racehorse owners David Wright and Marcus Reeder and two unlicensed individuals face charges in connection with the laying of horses to lose in 11 races that took place between March 2004 and December 2005.
Paul Blockley & Dean McKeown are charged, in relation to the races in which they took part as a rider or trainer, with breaches of:
Rule 201(v) in that they conspired with other persons to commit a corrupt or fraudulent practice by communicating directly or indirectly to one or more Betfair account holders information relating to the prospects in the race of their horse which was or included information (i) obtained in his capacity as a licensed person and (ii) which was not publicly available or authorised for such disclosure by the Rules of Racing (‘Inside Information’), knowing that (i) and (ii) were the case, or being reckless as to whether this was so and knowing that, or being reckless as to whether, such information would or might be used to gain an unfair advantage in the betting market;
OR
Rule 243 in that they communicated directly or indirectly to one or more Betfair account holders, for material reward, gift, favour or benefit in kind, information relating to the prospects of the Named Horse in any or all of the 11 races, which was or included Inside Information knowing that, or being reckless as to whether, such information was Inside Information.
Paul Blockley is also charged with a breach of Rule 155(ii) in Races 2, 6, 7 and/or 11 in that he failed to give or cause to be given to Dean McKeown such instructions as were necessary to ensure the Named Horses ran on their merits.
Dean McKeown is also charged with a breach of Rule 157 in Races 2, 6, 7 and/or 11 in that he intentionally failed to ensure that the Named Horse ran on its merits.
Clive Whiting, David Wright, Derek Lovatt & Nicholas Rook are charged with breaches of:
Rule 201(v) in that they conspired with other persons to commit a corrupt or fraudulent practice by placing lay bets and/or causing one or more other Betfair account holders to place lay bets on the horses not to win (and/or be placed in) the race using information he had received directly or indirectly from Dean McKeown and/or Paul Blockley relating to the prospects in the race of the Named Horse which was or included information (i) obtained by Dean McKeown and/or Paul Blockley in their capacity as licensed persons which was (ii) not publicly available or authorised for such disclosure by the Rules of Racing (‘Inside Information’), and knowing that (i) and (ii) were the case, or being reckless as to whether this was so and knowing that, or being reckless as to whether, such information would provide an unfair advantage in the betting market;
OR
Rule 220(ix) in relation to one or more of the races by causing Paul Blockley and/or Dean McKeown, to act in breach of Rule 243 by communicating to him directly or indirectly, at his request and for material reward, gift, favour or benefit in kind, Inside Information in relation to the Named Horse.
Clive Whiting is also charged with a breach of Rule 247 in relation to Races 2, 7 and/or 10, by instructing Nicholas Rook to place lay bets on his behalf and/or by receiving the whole or any part of the proceeds of such bets on the Named Horses when he was the owner of the Named Horse;
AND
Rule 220(vii)(b) by deliberately misleading or, by an overt act, endeavouring to mislead a British Horseracing Authority Investigating Officer by providing inaccurate and incomplete answers in the course of an interview conducted on 13th March 2006 as to: (i) his knowledge of Nicholas Rook’s lay bets; and/or (ii) his use of Nicholas Rook’s Betfair account.
Marcus Reeder, Martyn Wakefield & Vincent Whiting are charged with breaches of:
Rule 201(v) in that they conspired with other persons to commit a corrupt or fraudulent practice by placing lay bets and/or causing one or more other Betfair account holders to place lay bets on the horses not to win (and/or be placed in) the race using information he had received directly or indirectly from Dean McKeown and/or Paul Blockley relating to the prospects in the race of the Named Horse which was or included information (i) obtained by Dean McKeown and/or Paul Blockley in their capacity as licensed persons which was (ii) not publicly available or authorised for such disclosure by the Rules of Racing (‘Inside Information’), and knowing that (i) and (ii) were the case, or being reckless as to whether this was so and knowing that, or being reckless as to whether, such information would provide an unfair advantage in the betting market.
The races are:
DATE COURSE HORSE JOCKEY
19.3.04 Lingfield Skip of Colour Dean McKeown
16.6.04 Southwell Only If I Laugh * Dean McKeown
25.6.04 Southwell Turn Around Dean McKeown
13.8.04 Catterick Roxanne Mill Fergal Lynch
11.10.04 Leicester Richie Boy Ian Mongan
8.2.05 Lingfield Smith N Allan Oils Dean McKeown
19.4.05 Southwell Hits Only Cash* Dean McKeown
26.5.05 Ayr Dumaran Fergal Lynch
6.6.05 Folkestone Turn Around* Dean McKeown
8.6.05 Hamilton Prince Dayjur* Dean McKeown
19.12.05 W’hampton Hits Only Money** Dean McKeown
* Horse owned by Clive Whiting
** Horse owned by Clive Whiting and David Wright
All horses were trained by Paul Blockley
INVESTIGATION TWO
Following a second, separate investigation Neil Leach, a Travelling Head Lad for Nicky Richards, and Neil Allen, an unlicensed individual face charges in connection with the laying of horses to lose in 10 races that took place between November 2005 and July 2006.
Neil Leach is charged with a breach of:
Rule 243 in that he communicated to Neil Allen for reward, gift, favour or benefit in kind, information about the Nicky Richards’ trained horse identified in the Race Schedule (“the Named Horse”) which was not publicly available or otherwise provided for in the Rules of Racing (“Inside Information”);
AND/OR
Rule 220 (i) in that he aided and abetted the commission of a corrupt and/or fraudulent practice by Neil Allen (namely placing lay bets on the Named Horse with the benefit of Inside Information, in breach of Rule 201 (v)) by communicating to Neil Allen Inside Information knowing that, or being reckless as to whether or contemplating as a real possibility that Neil Allen would use it for such a corrupt and/or fraudulent practice;
AND
Rule 220 (viii), by deliberately misleading or endeavouring by an overt act to mislead, or alternatively, in breach of Rule 220 (vii) (b) by providing inaccurate information to, Officials of the British Horseracing Authority in relation to the administration or control of racing.
Neil Allen is not subject to the Order and Rules of Racing, therefore the Disciplinary Panel will be asked to consider whether Neil Allen:
Acted in breach of Rule 201 (v) and is thereby liable to exclusion pursuant to Rule 2 (v) (a) by committing a corrupt or fraudulent practice by placing lay bets against the Nicky Richards’ trained horse identified in the attached Race Schedule (“the Named Horse”) using information he had received from Neil Leach, a registered stable employee, relating to the prospects of the Named Horse in the race which was or included information not publicly available or otherwise provided for in the Rules of Racing (‘Inside Information’), knowing that, or suspecting that or being reckless as to whether, such information was Inside Information;
AND/OR
Acted in breach of Rule 220 (ix) and is thereby liable to exclusion pursuant to Rule 2 (v) (a) by virtue of the dealings he had with Neil Leach causing Neil Leach to be in breach of Rule 243;
AND
Is liable to exclusion pursuant to Rule 2 (v) (a) on the further or alternate ground that he unreasonably failed or refused to co-operate with the BHA’s enquiries.
The races are:
DATE COURSE HORSE
30.12.05 Catterick Muckle Fugga
14.12.05 Bangor Westmeath Flyer
22.12.05 Ayr Random Native
18.1.06 Newcastle Random Native
23.1.06 Ayr It’s No Easy
11.3.06 Ayr Muckle Fugga
18.3.06 Newcastle Rising Generation
9.5.06 Kelso Possextown
11.6.06 Perth Possextown
5.7.06 Worcester Possextown
A date for the two separate Disciplinary Panel Enquiries will be set in due course.
NOTES FOR EDITORS:
1. There is no evidence or allegation of any involvement in the first case by any of the other jockeys who rode the horses concerned.
2. There is no evidence or allegation of any involvement in second case by Nicky Richards, any other member of staff employed by Nicky Richards or any of the jockeys that rode the horses concerned.
3. Former racehorse owners David Wright and Marcus Reeder have previously been warned off for laying their own horses:
