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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Jon Lees

Jockey Danny Brock disqualified for 15 years over horse racing betting corruption

Former jockey Danny Brock was warned off for 15 years by a BHA judicial panel for a series of corrupt rides - in which he stopped horses so that individuals linked to him could profit by thousands of pounds from betting.

Brock, who is no longer licensed, was declared a disqualified person with immediate effect and Sean McBride, son of Newmarket trainer Charlie McBride, was disqualified for seven years at a penalty hearing on Thursday.

Brock, who did not participate in the inquiry, was found guilty on Tuesday of engaging in a corrupt or fraudulent practices in relation to racing after a December inquiry which focused on nine all-weather races he rode in during 2018 and 2019.

He was alleged to have passed on inside information to four co-defendants about which of his mounts would be ridden to win and which would not.

In one of the races under suspicion, Brock finished second in a two runner race at Southwell on which his co-accused staked significantly large bets on the odds-on favourite Tricky Dicky which beat Brock’s mount Samovar, which was slowly away, by ten lengths.

At the penalty hearing, barrister Louis Weston urged the panel to impose a hefty sentence on Brock, who rode more than 100 winners from 2009 to 2021 and is now a greyhound trainer.

“What purpose does this man serve in the sport,” he said. “He is corrupt. He shouldn’t be in it.”

Danny Brock: the former jockey was disqualified for 15 years by a BHA judicial panel (Photograph by John Grossick)

Panel chair Tim Charlton KC said written reasons would be issued in “a day or so” as he announced the disqualifications.

McBride, who is assistant trainer at his father’s yard and was said to be a close friend of Brock, was the only individual to engage in the hearing and had denied involvement in corrupt or fraudulent practices.

The others Andrew Perring, Eugene Maloney, and Luke Howells, who faced the same charges, did not attend. Having already been permanently excluded from the sport there was no further penalty that could be imposed, Charlton said.

But he directed that any application to have the exclusions removed should not be entertained for 15 years.

The BHA welcomed the outcome with a spokesperson saying the sentence "sends a powerful message that conduct of this nature will never be tolerated in British racing.

"The conduct of the individuals found in breach in this case risked undermining confidence in our sport and flagrantly disregarded the hard work and dedication of people up and down the country who carry out their duties in good faith.

"It is vital that supporters and bettors have faith in the fairness and integrity of our sport. At the same time, participants must have absolute confidence that they are competing on a level playing field."

"We are grateful to the Panel for their diligence in hearing and passing judgement on this important case."

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