Trainer found guilty in corruption case

3 year ban for Keightley

The Jockey Club Disciplinary Panel has imposed a 3-year disqualification on the trainer Shaun Keightley, and fined him £3,500.

 

In its decision, released on 14 December, the Panel found that as part of a corrupt agreement with a well known professional gambler Mr Keightley had instructed the jockey not to ride RED LANCER on its merits at Wolverhampton on the 20th October 2003, but instead to run the horse in such a way as to ensure that it would lose and/or not be placed. The gambler, Christopher Coleman, and associates of his had then laid RED LANCER to lose in the win and/or place markets of Betfair. (Coleman also featured in the Gary Carter Inquiry held on the 28th September 2005 )

 

On the expiry of the 3 year disqualification Keightley will be unable to apply for a trainer’s licence for a further 2 years. Disqualification means that Keightley will be prevented from working in a yard or other licensed premises.

 

At the time of these events Coleman had already been “warned off” by the Jockey Club for buying inside information from jockeys, and the Panel found Keightley’s dealings with him were in breach of the Rules of Racing on that account also.

 

Keightley was also found to have misled Jockey Club investigators about the nature of telephone conversations he had with Coleman both before the race, on the day and afterwards. Details of the calls made by Coleman to Keightley were obtained through disclosure of his mobile telephone records. As in the Carter case, these records were obtained by the Jockey Club via “Norwich Pharmacal” disclosure orders made by the High Court.

 

The jockey, Pat McCabe was found to have not run the horse on its merits, but was found not to be guilty of any corruption and not to know of his trainer’s corrupt agreement with Coleman. He was therefore given a 28 days suspension.

 

5RB’s Mark Warby QC and Anna Coppola  represented the Jockey Club at the 3 day hearing on the 12th, 13th and 14th of December 2005. 

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