Four jockeys who were among 11 people found guilty of corruption in a British Horseracing Authority probe have been banned from the sport.
Jockeys Jimmy Quinn, Kirsty Milczarek, Greg Fairley and Paul Doe were all found in breach of the rules while former jockey Paul Fitzsimons, now a trainer, was found not guilty.
The riders, along with eight other individuals, faced charges relating to 10 races between January 17 and August 15, 2009.
Doe and Fairley, who were the only two riders found guilty of deliberately ensuring horses did not run on their merits, were handed bans of 12 years by the BHA disciplinary panel on Wednesday.
Milczarek was banned for two years, with Quinn given a six-month ban after being found guilty of corruption. Milczarek said she intended to appeal against the findings, while veteran jockey Quinn does not.
The jockeys were judged to have been involved in a betting ring masterminded by two registered owners, Maurice Sines and James Crickmore.
Sines and Crickmore were each disqualified for 14 years and there were punishments for five other accomplices.
“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,” BHA director Paul Scotney said.
“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 MacNeice said: “The disciplinary panel found that Jimmy had ridden both horses on their merits and in their written reasons they went as far as saying that had he been asked not to ride them on their merits, he would have refused to have done so.
“That recognition by the Panel is very important because it underlines Jimmy’s commitment to riding each horse he rides on its merits and in order to achieve that horse’s best possible placing.
“The Panel in their decision made specific reference to his ride on Quince, a horse on which he won, given what the panel called ‘an astute ride’. By winning that race, the gamblers who were the subject of this inquiry lost STG80,000 ($A125,687).
“By imposing a six-month ban on Jimmy, the Panel imposed the absolute minimum ban they were able to.
“Mr Quinn hopes to resume riding after his six-month ban and is grateful for the great deal of support he has received from within racing.”
AFP AAP TURF
