Fearful Brock absent as case opens over 'extraordinary' conspiracy

Former jockey Danny Brock was accused of being at the heart of an "extraordinary" conspiracy when a major disciplinary hearing into allegations of serious breaches of the rules around corruption in racing began on Wednesday.

Brock, who has not ridden since receiving a 30-day ban for a series of whip offences in July last year, is among six people facing allegations over involvement in corrupt or fraudulent practices in relation to racing.

The former rider is said to have breached four BHA rules including relaying inside information and not riding horses to achieve their best possible placings, but did not participate in the first day of an independent inquiry, citing fears for his and his family's safety.

Timothy Charlton, chairing a three-person panel, explained a procedural hearing last month resulted in Brock applying for the case to be heard in private, to which he did not agree because the "balance of justice" required it to be heard in public.

It was then revealed Brock had concerns over his wellbeing and that of those closest to him should publicity arise from the matter, which relates to nine all-weather races from December 2018 to September 2019.

Seven of those involve Mochalov, a gelding Brock rode eight times, winning once and finishing second twice, while a second on Samovar in a Southwell match race and victory aboard Resurrected at Chelmsford were also examined.

Lingfield: the venue of some races under the spotlightCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Sean McBride, whose father Charlie trained Resurrected at the time of her success, Andrew Perring, Eugene Maloney, Luke Olley and Luke Howells are facing a breach of rule 41 for involvement in corrupt or fraudulent practices in relation to racing.

Louis Weston, representing the BHA, outlined what he said were the "clearest of connections" between the individuals as replays of the nine races were screened.

Weston alleged "extraordinary betting" offered strong evidence that three of Brock's eight rides in question were "stopping" ones as part of a "horseracing conspiracy".

They included two on Mochalov and the Southwell ride on Samovar, when his sole rival Tricky Dicky was said to have been backed by Perring, Maloney, McBride and Howells.

The other races – including one in which Fergus Sweeney, now a BHA steward and not accused of any wrongdoing, rode Mochalov – were labelled "normal" as those betting "either individually or in combination are backing; they know when to back and know when to lay".

"I invite you to stand back and say to yourself, how is it a horseracing conspiracy, that has at its aim stopping horses for betting purposes, would work," Weston put to the panel. "And the obvious analysis is there needs to be something of a tripod. It is joined together at three points by defective performance, communication and surprising betting, and what we find in this case is there is no doubt that those elements are present and I draw my triangle in a big sharp black pen because the betting is extraordinary, the rides are extraordinary and the communication is extraordinary."

Evidence was provided by James Moore, the BHA's principal betting investigator, and Weston went on: "I set out with the hope and ambition that I would be able to lay before you, by looking at the betting and looking at the races, a pattern of communication, extraordinary betting and surprising, and I say, defective performance in the races. It's made more surprising when the pattern goes back, back, back when Mr Brock is riding to win and it's lay, lay, lay when he's stopping, and it's always done in large sums."

Hearing moves to BHA offices in London on Thursday

Of Brock's absence, Weston told the panel: "I would invite you to draw some adverse inferences in relation to Mr Brock. He has had every opportunity to contest what I say about his rides and he is choosing not to. I would invite you, where he was subject to the rules at the time and could be compelled to come but has chosen not to come, he won't come, to draw the inference he has no good reason and is using the excuse of publicity as a shield to avoid questioning.

"All because he simply does not have a good answer to it. You should add that inference to the evidence against him.

"Such is the fairness of the BHA that his absence can't prove the case, it merely adds to it."

McBride, represented by Philip Morris, was the only member of those involved to attend the first day of the hearing, which took a remote form on Wednesday in front of a panel that also comprised Austin Allison and Anthony Connell.

Day two will be conducted at the BHA's London offices on Thursday to make use of the resources there in analysing footage of the races under the spotlight.

It is not the first time Brock, whose first winner came in 2009, has dealt with the disciplinary arm of the BHA and three years ago he was banned for seven days for using a modified whip on Resurrected in that Chelmsford contest.

He said the elastic bands attached to his whip had been left there by mistake and the episode led to death threats.

Brock recorded three winners from 38 rides in 2021 and enjoyed his best season in 2014, when he partnered 27 winners from 218 rides.

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