11 people banned for corruption by BHA

Jockeys Paul Doe and Greg Fairley have been banned from racing for 12 years for "not riding a horse to its merits" after an investigation into corruption.

Two other jockeys are among 11 people barred from the sport following a British Horseracing Authority probe.

Kirsty Milczarek has been banned for two years, while Jimmy Quinn has received a six-month punishment.

Owners Maurice "Fred" Sines and James Crickmore have been banned for 14 years for betting on their own horse to lose.

Fairley and Doe had both quit racing earlier this year.

Quinn and Milczarek were both found guilty of corruption, but the latter was also found to have breached a rule forbidding jockeys passing on information in return for reward.

Quinn, who has ridden four winners for champion trainer Richard Hannon this year, does not intend to appeal while Milczarek does.

Five others - Nick Gold, Peter Gold, Shaun Harris, David Kendrick and Liam Vasey - were also found guilty of "corrupt or fraudulent practice".

Vasey, Kendrick and Harris were banned for five, four and three years respectively while a decision on Nick and Peter Gold's penalties will be made after further written submissions.

Paul Fitzsimons, now a trainer, and Darren May were cleared of all charges.

All those found guilty have seven days to appeal against their bans but are excluded from the sport during that period.

The verdicts were delivered on Wednesday as the BHA published the findings of its long-running investigation into race-fixing around horses being backed on betting exchanges to lose races between 17 January and 15 August 2009.

THE BANS
Paul Doe - jockey - 12 years
Greg Fairley - jockey - 12 years
Jimmy Quinn - jockey - six months
Kirsty Milczarek - jockey - two years
Maurice "Fred" Sines - owner - 14 years
James Crickmore - owner - 14 years
Shaun Harris - associate - three years
David Kendrick - associate - four years
Liam Vasey - associate - five years
Nick Gold - associate - TBA
Peter Gold - associate - TBA

"While it is the names of the jockeys that the racing public will recognise, people should be under no illusions that it is the lesser-known names who were the instigators of these serious breaches of the rules," said BHA director Paul Scotney.

"The investigation uncovered a network through which Sines and Crickmore engaged in betting activity, in particular with two riders, Paul Doe and Greg Fairley, that impacted on seven of the 10 races in question.

"In the BHA's history, the scale and complexity of this case is unprecedented."

Quinn's solicitor Rory Mac Neice told the Racing Post: "The BHA found that Jimmy had ridden both horses on their merits and went as far to say that he did not stop the horses and that if he had been asked to stop the horses he would not have done so anyway.

"Jimmy is pleased that this has been made clear to the outside world.

"In giving him a six-month ban they have given him the minimum amount open to them and that reflects the panel's view of him."

Milczarek, who was in action at Lingfield and Kempton on Wednesday afternoon, faced charges relating to her ride aboard Obe Gold at Lingfield on 15 August 2009.

Trained at the time by Debbie Mountain, Milczarek, the girlfriend of six-time champion jockey Kieren Fallon, finished fifth on the even-money favourite in a six-furlong race.

She told At The Races: "I've just spoken to my solicitor a couple of times. We are going for an appeal. It's my livelihood.

"I was found guilty on one particular thing but not a ride, which I'm pleased about."

Nick and Peter Gold also intend to contest the guilty verdicts in their cases.

"We wish to make clear on behalf of our clients that the BHA disciplinary panel expressly found that our clients were not involved in any conspiracy whereby bets were placed on races knowing that jockeys had agreed to lose the races in question," read a statement from their solicitors.

"The BHA panel nevertheless went on to find our clients in breach of the rules of racing 'in the lesser sense' that some inside information from jockeys had been used.

"Our clients will vigorously contest the findings against them."

source: BBC Sport

if this is true, then its a very sad day for horse racing.

Yet again racing makes the headlines but for all the wrong reasons.Some may argue that the sentences handed out are severe,maybe they are but the powers must be seen to be dealing with any wrong doing with a firm hand.Jockeys are always under scrutiny and the fact that two who recieved long bans jumped ship earlier in the year probably speaks volumes,racing has no place for their likes.Im much more disappointed with the owners and their underhand and unsporting behaviour.Having been involved with too many horses to list and been privy to the so called "owners privelige"of knowing when your fella is "on" or "off" then words cant describe what comtempt i hold these plebs in because they chose to make a fast buck out of something that very few racing people ever come close to having a share of.Betting exchanges have opened up the punting side of the sport and made it much more transparent to the everyday racing fan but like all things,it comes with a price,owners laying their own horses for profit is the absolute lowest of the low.Goodbye and good riddance to them all.