Wainwright to face corruption charge over non-trier allegation

Lawyers for John Wainwright on Wednesday said he was "completely innocent" after the Malton trainer was one of five people charged with corruption offences over the performance of a horse who ran in a race more than three years ago.

The BHA announced Wainwright will appear before a disciplinary hearing due to start in London on Monday in a case that also involves former jockey Adam Carter, stable employee Paul Bradley plus John Wright and Peter Bennett, who are not registered or licensed persons.

The charges followed a BHA investigation into the running of the Wainwright-trained Blazeofenchantment, who finished seventh of nine under Carter in a Southwell handicap in June 2014 on his first start for the stable, for which he went off a 4-1 chance.

Wainwright, Carter and Wright are alleged to have conspired to commit a corrupt or fraudulent practice by deliberately ensuring Blazeofenchantment did not run on his merits. Bradley and Bennett are alleged to have known of the conspiracy and used the inside information to gain an advantage on the betting markets.

Up to four days have been set aside for the hearing and the penalty for a guilty verdict can result in disqualification or exclusion.

Wainwright and Wright are being represented by Stewart Moore solicitors, who said in a statement that their clients were "extremely disappointed to have been charged by the BHA in relation to the Blazeofenchantment inquiry".

It added: "They are completely innocent of the charges. The BHA’s whole case against them is based on the evidence of a jockey who has given wildly conflicting accounts over the last three years and is refusing to attend next week’s inquiry or give any indication as to what his position now is.

"He has not signed a witness statement or explained what his allegations are to the BHA for over two years. Frankly it is hard to see how next week’s hearing will be anything other than a complete waste of everyone’s time.

"Our clients are being forced to attend a hearing apparently to sit and listen to the BHA guess what the jockeys evidence might have been had he turned up."