by Renee Israel
A three year ban has been imposed on registered race horse owner, Leighton
Brooks by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA).
Brooks has been found guilty of wagering on his own horses and profiting from
their loss on the tracks.
According to the charges, Brooks opened an account at Betfair through a third
party and wagered several times on his own animals, contrary to the regulations
stipulated by the British Horseracing Authority.
The disciplinary panel found that Brooks wagered four times on two of the
horses, Man of Gwent and Trimlestown and managed to win after his predictions
were partially correct.
Brooks placed bets for nearly £8000 and made a profit of £609 through
his Betfair wagers.
Brooks initially claimed that he was sharing the Betfair account with a
friend who had actually placed the bets on his horses.
However, when the BHA asked him to hand over his telephone records to verify
these claims, Brooks refused and this was considered an admission of guilt on
his part.
Furthermore, Brooks refused to attend the hearing.
The BHA thus imposed a three year ban on the horse owner, although there is a
possibility that this may extend to a life time ban.
A new regulatory regime states that owners who have a bad record can be
excluded for always from BHA membership.
