HORSE RACING:RACING FACES several weeks of speculation and uncertainty as the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) decides on the charges to be brought against as many as five licensed Flat jockeys following a long and detailed investigation into alleged race fixing at a number of tracks.
Racecourses have been alive for several days with rumours linking well-known riders to the investigation and suggesting that charges are imminent, but with a career-ending ban the likeliest outcome for any jockey found guilty, the BHA is taking its time to ensure that its case is watertight.
As a result it is likely to be at least two weeks, and possibly four, before charges are published.
The jockeys concerned have been interviewed by BHA investigators and will be well aware their riding careers may be existing on borrowed time.
In the past the BHA has been criticised for the leniency of penalties imposed for offences under the anti-corruption rules, but a recent review increased to eight years the “entry level” ban for a rider found guilty of stopping a horse that has been laid to lose on a betting exchange.
If and when charges are brought against the riders, it could be many weeks before the case receives a formal hearing, which would cast a shadow over coming high-profile events including Royal Ascot in mid-June.
There is a sense at the BHA, though, that a significant case involving familiar names will emphasise its determination to root out corruption and offer a stern deterrent to other riders.
Meanwhile, Willie Twiston-Davies, who rode Baby Run to victory in the Fox Hunters’ Chase at Aintree’s Grand National meeting, faces a long spell on the sidelines after suffering a broken leg in a fall at Stratford yesterday.
Twiston-Davies, the 16-year-old son of the trainer Nigel, fell from Battlecry when the gelding slipped up in a hunter chase.
“It’s bad news, as he’s broken his femur in his right leg,” Sam Twiston-Davies, Willie’s brother and fellow jockey, said. “He’s gone to Warwick Hospital and will be operated on there.”
* Guardian Service
