His Honour Brian Barker C.B.E. QC, Judicial Panel Chairman to the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), has today announced the 23 members who will form his new Disciplinary Panel and Licensing Committee members and chairmen.
This follows the recommendation made by independent regulatory expert Christopher Quinlan QC in his review of the structure, composition and operation of the BHA’s Disciplinary Panel, Appeal Board and Licensing Committee, to increase the size of a merged Disciplinary Panel and Licensing Committee under open competition.
The appointed Panel chairmen and members will play a key role in upholding the integrity of Britain’s second-biggest spectator sport by being responsible for holding enquiries under the Rules of Racing, hearing appeals against the BHA’s racecourse stewards’ decisions and, where appropriate, imposing penalties in accordance with the Rules.
138 applications were received and 53 interviews held in the process of appointing the panel members. In accordance with Christopher Quinlan’s recommendations, the new members have been appointed by the Judicial Panel Chairman following an open, competitive process, judged against published criteria. The Judicial Panel Chairman was assisted in the decision-making process by the Deputy Judicial Panel Chairman, Bruce Blair QC, Philip Freedman, Chairman of the Horsemen’s Group, and Carole Goldsmith, the BHA’s Director of People and Development.
A further recommendation of the Quinlan review was that among those being encouraged to come forward are former jockeys and trainers whose direct experience of the sport could make them ideal candidates to assist in the formulation of disciplinary verdicts. As such, the appointed Panel members include Grand National and Cheltenham Gold Cup winning trainer Jenny Pitman OBE, and Philip Robinson, a former jockey who rode more than 1,000 winners on the flat, including 30 Group 1 winners worldwide.
The appointed chairmen and members will commence their duties from 3 July (unless stated otherwise) and are contracted on a three-year basis.
An open training day has been organised for all individuals prior to this date, with representative bodies such as the National Trainers Federation (NTF), Racehorse Owners Association (ROA) and Professional Jockeys Association (PJA) invited to send representatives.
His Honour Brian Barker C.B.E. QC, Chairman of the Judicial Panel, said:
“The appointment process for these important positions has been an extensive one. I’d like to thank everyone for taking the time and effort to apply and we were very fortunate to have such a high number of quality applications. I’m pleased that we have been able to put in place a panel which combines greater diversity of skills and experience, combining significant legal expertise with in-depth horseracing knowledge.”
The Disciplinary Panel chairmen and members are:
| CHAIRMEN
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| 1 | Tim Charlton QC | A Disciplinary Panel chairman from 2005. |
| 2 | His Honour Philip Curl | A retired Circuit Judge and, from 2002, a steward at racecourses which include Newmarket and Yarmouth. Has been a member of the Disciplinary Panel since 2011 and will now stand down from stewarding. |
| 3 | David Fish QC | Queen’s Counsel practising in Manchester and for many years an owner, with a comprehensive knowledge of horseracing. |
| 4 | Patrick Milmo QC | Queen’s Counsel practising in London, a current chairman of the Disciplinary Panel and a long-standing owner and breeder. |
| 5 | J Stuart Morrison | A retired solicitor who practised in Scotland, and a former immigration judge, from which he retired in March 2015 after completing 15 years of service. A prolific owner since 1990 who has enjoyed Group 1 success. Was at one time in partnership in a bookmaking business. A non-executive director of Ayr Racecourse. |
| 6 | William Norris QC | A barrister practising in London and currently a chairman of the Disciplinary Panel. Has owned racehorses and is a trustee of the Injured Jockeys Fund. |
| 7 | HH James O’Mahony | A Circuit Judge in Kent with a wide knowledge of horseracing. |
| 8 | Sebastian Prentis | A barrister practising in London, and currently the legally qualified member of the Licensing Committee. Will continue to specialise in that sphere and sit only on Licensing Committee cases. |
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MEMBERS
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| 9 | David Adam | A former steward, from 1988 to 2014, at c.10 racecourses including Epsom, Goodwood and Sandown Park, and an owner. |
| 10 | Tony Connell | A retired senior lawyer at the Crown Prosecution Service and a member of several racecourses with a comprehensive knowledge of horseracing. |
| 11 | Edward Dorrell | A current member of the Disciplinary Panel and the Licensing Committee and a steward at six racecourses including Chester and Haydock. Will continue to act only in licensing matters. |
| 12 | John Dyer | A barrister practising in London and an owner, with a strong knowledge of horseracing. |
| 13 | Chloe Fairley | A barrister practising in Leeds who rides out regularly for a professional trainer in Yorkshire and rode the winner of the MacMillan charity race for amateurs at York in 2014. |
| 14 | Dr Lyn Griffiths | Formerly a Racecourse Medical Officer over many years. A senior medico-legal adviser for the Medical Protection Society. |
| 15 | Gardie Grissell | A former trainer who trained more than 300 winners. |
| 16 | Jodie Mogford | A former jockey who rode c.170 winners under National Hunt Rules. Jodie is currently assistant trainer to Graeme McPherson QC and will therefore not sit on any cases which involve a licensed trainer or where Graeme McPherson is acting for either party. |
| 17 | Jenny Pitman, OBE | A former trainer who trained winners of both the Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup (each twice). |
| 18 | Diana Powles | A current member of the Disciplinary Panel and a now retiring steward who has acted since 1998 at several racecourses including Newmarket, Southwell and Doncaster. |
| 19 | Philip Robinson | A former jockey who rode in excess of 1,000 winners on the Flat, including more than 30 Group 1 winners worldwide. Philip is also Coaching Development Manager for JETS with responsibility for leading and developing the industry’s Jockey Coaches. He will not sit on any cases which involve his students, past or present. |
| 20 | Simon Rowlands | A specialist as to form, race analysis and betting. Employed over many years by Timeform, amongst other employers, and currently the Chairman of the Horseracing Bettors Forum. |
| 21 | Steve Winfield | An owner, breeder and devotee of horseracing, with wide knowledge, and who has extensive regulatory and disciplinary experience. Was formerly the Chairman of the Greyhound Regulatory Board. |
| 22 | Yvonne Mee | A retired Investigating Officer and Stable Inspector. Will join the panel in July 2018. |
| 23 | John de Moraville | A former BHA handicapper over a period of 19 years and earlier a racing journalist (Bendex) with the Daily Express. Will join the panel in November 2018. |
Shirley Cowan, in her role as Judicial Panel Secretary, will continue to act as the sole conduit between the BHA and the Disciplinary Panel and Licensing Committees. This is to ensure the independence and separation of the BHA’s executive function from its quasi-judicial panels, as recommended by the Quinlan review.
Notes to Editors
1. Members of the panel may be available for interview or further comment. If you wish to contact any of the individuals on the panel please contact Robin Mounsey on [email protected] or 0207 152 0048.
