Sean Curran to the stewards room please

Sets a very dangerous precedent. How we going to "plunge"  horses pulled out every  every time now?

How much the books are getting hit should be of no concern of the BHA.

Might help the punters more if they flagged up the non "jiggers" instead.

Same as syndicates where you don't know who the owner is?

EG Sausalito owned by Southstand Syndicate. There are 3 in this syndicate, two of them are professional gamblers.

This information is not available to the punter

"Are" sorry.

Unless there is evidence of known dodgieness in who is betting this sets a terrible precedence - horse doing well at home after lay off, small trainer fancies it so tells mates to back it, - how much dosh shortened its price as it take pennies now? No previous on trainer and this needs  investigating by someone other than the BHA - can they do this to any horse? How many punters have lost out on a decent bit of dosh maybe having backed it?
This should get you lot really angry instead of the latest 'trans dog owners refusing vaccination as schools ban the colour blue' or whatever culture war you join! The Racing Post should investigate this thoroughly but obv they wont.

Don’t often agree with impossible but he is bang on with his 615 post

Spot on spyker.

RIP Barney Curley.

Where were they then?

Agree, very good move by the BHA , forced to act after that Potter/McNally nonsense last month. Hopefully, make them think twice before any more of these fiddles


What's the fiddle here - it aint no Kracken Power it? Are you saying any horse backed (to the volume this was) should be stopped from running or any that shortens in price by as much - in which case how much money has that taken for the bookies to cry foul? a whole can of worms has been opened and the BHA will do everything to close it abley helped by the lack of any journos in racing.

This decision by the BHA opens up all sorts of possibilities for the future.

Bookies save themselves a payout, plus they get rule fours on winning bets!

The fec king thing was  there to WIN,not be stopped or pulled up ffs can't win can ya,spose the poxy stewards didnt get enough on themselves piss poor.

Bookmakers don't have to take bets, they can chalk them off the board if they want.

Stinks to high hell.

Who is running racing?

A big stable in Ireland had 2 runners on the Flat: one was odds-on, but a drifter. The other was backed, gifted a start and won easily. No enquiry. Another one in Ireland: A Gd 1 hurdle race; a trainer had 3 runners 2 of which were vying for fav. And, just before the start one took a big walk into the wilderness; the other walked home unchallenged. Again, no enquiry.

Big stables - no action; small stable - birch wielded. The above is a dangerous precedent. What next? I believe the BHA cannot interfere just before the race starts because of ownership. Just let the horse run; if anything dodgy (not ownership related eg family), but form wise withhold prize money.

Bookies are cry-babies. They steal off slots/casino games junkies with their fobt - BHA did nothing.

i bet when it comes out we are talking piddling sums of money. Obv I can't be certain its me but i've had 20 ew on outsiders that then shorten seconds later - on here one can influence the market (early anyway) with literally a few pence.

The Thunderer was a interesting one yesterday at Wolverhampton..

10Apr23
Wol C5Hc 4K    1m4f    St    9-3 t1    1/7 by nk Eagle Court 9-6    100/30F    Connor Planas5    72    —    —
56 days break
04Apr23    Changed Trainer notification: Sean Curran to Ollie Sangster
13Feb23
Wol C4Hc 6K    1m4f    St    9-8    8/11 btn 10½L Nolton Cross 9-12    20/1    C Bishop    74    50    71

He runs under my other name John Curran

abso comedy gold.

1 (6)

Runner Jacket
1. The Thunderer  (IRE) 100/30F
Connor Planas 5
Ollie Sangster
5    93 t1    72    –    –    –   
Lost many lengths start, raced in last, joined main group after 2f, shaken up and headway when not clear run and stumbled over 1f out, recovered and led inside final 110yds, pushed out (op 9/4) 

abso comedy gold. Grin


Why - as stated its what many others do and many with deliberate intent to deceive? What difference does it make - unless his other (horse owning) name was Geordie McTavish (to hide it) then its meaningless and the horse has run before. One might think you don't know wtf you are talking about to do with the ins and outs of horse racing............

Lots of trainers race horses owned by themselves, including from perceived gambling yards eg John Butler, Stuart Williams.

What difference to the horse's early odds would it have made if it had been down as being owned by "Sean Curran"?
None, imo.

sean is the irish name for john if that makes much difference....anyways why should ownership have a bearing,false trainer maybe

Exactly George

'ace, the shrewdies won't get caught out like this again, every proper gamble from now on will be a late, late job...A minute before the off on here and SP jobs in the bookies.

The horse is owned by my cousin Joe English but has been leased to me. He runs under my other name John Curran

Couldn't be clearer, could it? No questions to answer at all.

By the way, would this 'Joe English' character be any relation to Damian Joseph English, the trainer of Geological? Probably not. But I can't think of any way of finding out who he actually is. Which is the whole problem here.

Now they will George after this shambles….a good old fashioned punt down the drain before the tape

bad precedent to set

they clearly had a horse they tort cud win today (emphasis on it cud win but nowts certain in life) and yet BHA Kybosh it.......


more to this story than meets the eye

wheres kennyboy when ya need him

Meanwhile the dealer and his pals smashed the back passage of Slainte yday that p1ssed in -someone saw that one coming

Sorry Tom .... just giving some balance to the other arguments and wd

looks like they changed colours smirny

although he hada winner in the states last week

aye right

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=fastlove+george+michael&view=detail&mid=56C1F314C0AE14DD7D3756C1F314C0AE14DD7D37&FORM=VIRE

Someone pointing out on twitter that Barry Brennan's last Flat winner was in 2019 with a horse that was having its second start after leaving Sean Curran.

Lafan was its second start after leaving John Butler.

strange how he took all his horses away,i thought they parted ways.must have been a heavy gamble.

And asking were the gambles linked, as Laffan was well backed today also, and if so then why wasn't Lafan ordered to be withdrawn as well?

looks like a big double was expected

2x 14s?

who was to say that something else was better handicapped to win today........


more to this story than has so far come out imo

The price on Lafan collapsed this morning.

So if there were doubles placed here, there and everywhere at the early prices, perhaps not surprising then that someone might want to pull some strings and have one of them withdrawn.

And as Lafan had made the frame on its latest start, had to say there was any "integrity" issue there, which left...

There is no connection to Curran and lafan though so what's the point -  are Bulter and Curran linked - i thought Curran was an ex ptp trainer?   Idiots on twitter guessing and making up **** - has this happened before?

you saying there was 3 today smirny

anytime Butlers mentioned....... welll i will leave it there

gudnight peeps

There is no connection to Curran and lafan though so what's the point -  are Bulter and Curran linked - i thought Curran was an ex ptp trainer?   Idiots on twitter guessing and making up **** - has this


clueless

so what's the connection other than someone on twatter making it?

we all know John Butler was a very gud friend of Barney Chavs - need i go on

anyway i seriously must away

Explain what the link is between these 2 horses other than they were gambled. I fully accept there may well be more to the story than meets the eye - at least if there isn't then heads should roll at the BHA. So what is the link and why should that mean the first was withdrawn - many thanks?

Presume you know who Patrick is, spyker?

A former racing journalist of some integrity!

Patrick Weaver
@WeaverRacing
·
1h
The BHA are on to it and yet punters on here mistakenly think Aces Full should have been allowed to run

Try that again:

Patrick Weaver
@WeaverRacing
The BHA are on to it and yet punters on here mistakenly think Aces Full should have been allowed to run. Unbelievable. Their job is to wipe out corruption.
@RacingPost

Johnnie Butler and the Power Posse seemingly went for the BIG KNOCKOUT MULTI on Jan 5th, last year, with 2 winners, 2 desperate seconds and possibly one other that was in front inside the final furlong (presumably Griggy not involved as was entered in the same race as Martineo). The two Power horses, one trained by Curran, were smashed up in the morning, one (I think the Curran horse iirc) from 33/1 into 5/2. Two Lazarus training jobs accompanied by big wodges of cash, for the same owner, on the same day, at the same meeting would suggest a connection.

Patrick Weaver
@WeaverRacing
·
1h
Replying to
@Donegan07
Wayne, this result ties in to why Aces Full didn't run at Exeter. Lafan, Aces Full ... Sean Curran, Brennan, Butler. It goes a whole lot deeper.

Good post, Daryl.

Look at Griggy's lifetime form, for example, been backwards and forwards between the Butler / Curran yards.

An unbelievably bad decision however now they have set the bar have to maintain consistency this is the BHA makes me smile that does. Conversely what about the drifters probably more important the ones expected to have an off day you cannot justify doing nothing about the dogs that drift and run badly and the weight of money accompanies is no good. The BHA and their integrity services look daft out of touch to anybody who doesn't understand UK racing might even be construed a laughing stock to the rest of the horsey community worldwide. They always seem to pick on the little ones. I'd rather have a goer than a stopper and at the behest of our bookmaking friends who won't take a bet my over - riding thoughts are they must be having a laugh.

Maybe they lost out at Exeter and got the lot at Wolverhampton……hope so.

I'm sure this is all to the good of Racing and its integrity.

Those outraged by the BHA action should perhaps consider the possibility that the gamble wsn't the main reason for their actions. Maybe there are questions about who has been training the horse, where it's been based, what medical procedures have been used etc. It's certainly rather odd that the horse was pulled up 'making a respiratory noise' in October, but there's no report of a wind operation since then. Perhaps an investigation has been under way for some time and the gamble forced the security section to show their hand. All guesswork on my part of course.

And yes, I do have a personal interest - I own the horse that finished second to The Thunderer on Monday!

No integrity in any walk of life when cash is the forefront,any sports or business,all cut throat…..

Envelopes rule …..imo

I would not have been pleased to own the second on Monday.

So if this is one of those multiple bet plots why only stop the first one from running  - the multis would still run and the bets still stand? Looking at the form it doesn't look like they have mucked around with it - which are the others in the plot other than lafan and wouldn't connections just nr the others? As I said there must be more to this as even a multi plot doesn't warrant the horse being withdrawn so there must be link to dodgy money or warned off people otherwise I'm still confused as to why they would stop it from running!

I have to be honest, I had heard rumours that the BHA had an integrity unit but I always thought it was a bit like the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, santa claus and that team that the council claim are working round the clock to sort out the pot-holes!

what was the potter kelso incident? I missed that.

Old hat all this malarkey it’s been happening since time began,industry is as straight as a banana ffs

What do you reckon went on pre exchange ffs….

I know of an unlicensed (deceased) who had a bundle of riders on the book…..

Well known Irish rider for a well known Irish trainer based in Yorkshire…..for a well known lady person (red silks NH)

Ayr….decent race

Don’t punt this Davie it ain’t winning…..ffs…..but it’s a good thing……lol not to the important ones ffs…..

The BHA did not sanction Sheikh Mohamed for his kidnapping of his own daughter in International water; the BHA are not fit for purpose. They've repeatedly shot themselves in the foot recently yet the same personnel in charge and dishing out penalty.

What a despicable the BHA!

They know the score…..wake up and smell the coffee….

Liable threats,thought of court @ quarter of a big one in cost etc Bla Bla…..chases away all kinds

They are like any punter who can see what the score is…..try and prove any iffy stuff

Pee against a gale…..ffs

Sean Curran interviewed on the Nick Luck podcast today, from around 19 minutes in, says it wasn't his money cuz he doesn't bet.

https://twitter.com/search?q=sean%20curran&src=typed_query

Jesus…..

He was asked about Lafan, and while he acknowledged that he does know Barry Brennan, he said what goes on in that yard has nothing to do with him.

Venture into the racing game it’s fun……

The Management: I don't think the problem is a lack of an integrity unit - it's whether anyone is willing to act on that unit's findings.

Anyone who was propunting thirty years ago in the South or the Midlands would have known Terry Allen. He was the Jockey Club's security man, and he made it his business to know people with their ear to the ground. In a former life he used to make a book at Glastonbury flap, so he was exactly the right sort of man for this role. I remember one day talking about the late Gordon W Richards with him (father of the present incumbent of Greystoke). "Yeah," said Terry. "We've got a file this thick on 'im."

But was anything ever done about the contents of that file? Of course not. Don't rock the boat. And you can see why. Look at the reactions of gullible folk like George B when the authorities do take action.

He has one runner today,topweight in the 1605 hrs Southwell,drifting like the proverbial 11/4 out to 9s+ and yet other than a doubt about the ground has solid claims,late integrity non runner? lol

What would happen in this scenario, a horse owned by small punting owners has been smashed in the betting by a third party or parties.Surely the owners would be unfairly victimised if horse is withdrawn and loses them a chance of prize money.

The BHA obviously had advance knowledge of what they suspected,whatever it was.Should have had the trainer in as soon as they could before the race and put their questions to him.Leaving it so late to order the withdrawal was just plain incompetent without first speaking to the trainer or rep and having a record of it,as always punters kept in the dark and on this occasion the bookmakers inconvenienced,assuming they were not complicit of course.

But was anything ever done about the contents of that file? Of course not. Don't rock the boat. And you can see why. Look at the reactions of gullible folk like George B when the authorities do take action.

And what exactly makes me, "gullible", screaming from beneaththewaves?

Because as things stand, the suspicion is bookies had substantial liabilities on at least a double, strings were pulled and one of the runners was withdrawn. If you're okay with that then I would suggest that *YOU* are the *GULLIBLE* one.

The whole 2 names and it's the same person sounds iffy.

Sean doesn't bet though, his words

Trainers,owners and rider have been taking the P from the punter since racing started…..don’t kid yourself…..imo..

And it will continue…..we are nothing but fodder…..

Anyone who was propunting thirty years ago in the South or the Midlands would have known Terry Allen. He was the Jockey Club's security man, and he made it his business to know people with their ear to the ground. In a former life he used to make a book at Glastonbury flap, so he was exactly the right sort of man for this role. I remember one day talking about the late Gordon W Richards with him (father of the present incumbent of Greystoke). "Yeah," said Terry. "We've got a file this thick on 'im."

But was anything ever done about the contents of that file? Of course not. Don't rock the boat. And you can see why. Look at the reactions of gullible folk like George B when the authorities do take action.

I mean, seriously, where to start with this ^ crap?

You drag the late Gordon W Richards' name through the shyte.

And this Mr Allen, apparently had thick files on people but nowt was ever done, not through any fault of his own, eh?
Oh no, cuz of gullible people like me, it was all our fault.

WALOFS.

I agree with George ten mile of bull……

At the request of the Integrity Department of the British Horseracing Authority, the connections of ACES FULL (FR) were interviewed by the Stewards before this race and asked to provide information regarding the selection of the race for the gelding, their expectations for today, and the riding instructions given. Following the Stewards enquiry, the horse was withdrawn, and the matter referred to the BHA Integrity Department for further investigation..

So the Stewards had questions pre-race. So What. How can Curran not answer them? They don't even look too difficult as they would have been asked post race if it had won.

(a) selected this race because horse has come to himself since last run and had a good chance to win
(b) expecting a big run subject to going concerns
(c) riding instructions keep in touch and kick on between last 2

How hard would that have been?

Interesting to hear what Curran has actually said to the Stewards as this presumeably cannot be the end of the matter regards the Integrity Dept.

If they drop it, Curran should take legal action against them for his costs.

We all have our own opinion of who are the undesirable type….put them all in a hat and most would be in agreement ffs

MR Myx,you say so what to questions pre race,why?

Questions answered before an event can have a bearing on answers post event and if they vary,why?

Just being devil's advocate here but how many times do we see on this forum outraged posters complaining about horses running well below or well above expected. ( Remember Kraken Power ) . Aren't the BHA finally doing something which has been asked for many times ? The only odd thing here as I see it is that they reacted BEFORE a race , rather than handing out suspensions and fines AFTER the fact , so to speak. Something many us have called for. The consequence being a pre race action helps the bookies rather than punters. Just my views.

Brians,the consistency of the BHA as well as their intentions are what is in question not least transparency? All very well doing what they did but if they possessed information before the race why leave it so late to take action based on it?

What was their reasoning etc to leave it so late,not a peep about the trainers runner tailed off today but someone obviously knew before the race?

The BHA ought to have let the horse run, and then suspend prize money. I believe betting ought to be treated/considered a separate issue; good luck to those who follow the money; tough for those who lost doing so.

Nice impossible,if the horse had fallen or lost those that followed the money i.e punters lose again?

Apr 12, 2023 -- 4:09PM, formoftheace wrote:

Trainers,owners and rider have been taking the P from the punter since racing started…..don’t kid yourself…..imo..And it will continue…..we are nothing but fodder…..

Spot on !

So why didn't the bookies do their usual thing of announcing a 'huge gamble' that actually amounts to pennies? No-one has outlined what the crime is or in which prior races any of the horses were pulled. By withdrawing the horse all those doubles and trebles (still not sure what the 3rd horse is as Tuesday markets wouldn't be up for the early odds and only couple bookies have active markets before about 5  to include The Thunderer so back that and put the winnings on double later would make sense) have been landed, if it had run and lost.........
Have there been stories of punters not getting paid on the doubles etc as there should be  more than a few by now.? As I said above unless there are links to warned off or banned people then this sets a precedent for every trainer that thinks they are in with a chance of a multi or on speaking to another trainer mate of theirs who strongly fancies 1 and they include it in that bet. Every one of those must now be stopped!

https://www.racingpost.com/news/britain/trainer-left-shocked-and-flabbergasted-after-heavily-backed-runner-is-prevented-from-running-at-exeter-akOYs1I0OtvQ/

At the request of the integrity department the stewards had asked the trainer to provide information regarding the selection of the race for the gelding, their expectations and the riding instructions.

Could they not ask the trainer when they enter a horse about the selection of the race and their expectation of the outcome?
It would weed out a lot of the non jiggers because the trainer will answer truthfully and say the horse is entered for a run, get a low handicap mark and then they'll pretend to the owner that they can orchestrate a gamble!!

Well, well, well, so they thought they could just remove John Dance's name from the ownership and everything would be hunky dory as the BHA approved the ownership change and gave the go ahead for Bravemansgame to run?

The British Horseracing Authority released a statement on Wednesday evening which read: "In light of new information, including a court order , provided to the BHA by the Financial Conduct Authority, Bravemansgame is no longer able to take part in the race and has been withdrawn.

Oh dear, one rule for the big boys...yeah, we'll sort that out for you...and another for the likes of Curran

In light of new information
The BHA knew the details all the time .
The only thing new was the court order

another reason to leave the low grade racing alone and its just going to get worse, they are running for peanuts and trainers owners need to win money another way, it cant be stopped but like myself and many others have decided we dont need to bet on such low grade stuff and its rare as hens teeth when you ever complain its not off/ not trying again in high grade races, the low grade racing will eat itself skint and eventually it will be run by bookmakers for bookmakers just like good fridays and sunday series tv rubbish, run by tv backed by bookmakers money the courses can try kid us its the courses money, yeah right

I see Brennan was interviewed by the wolves stewards at the behest of the integrity department before Lafan ran. They were satisfied and let Lafan run.

Curran running it with his "other name" as owner
Curran claiming he doesnt bet
Curran having a link to the other horse
States how his stable "needs winners" suggesting he knew it was going to win
Tries to say that because his cousin is retired he wouldnt have much money on (because retired people have so little ..)

Finally rightly or wrongly we see a horse pulled out for an extremely suspicious gamble and people are complaining about it !  You would think the sport and punters in general would welcome this as at least a bit of warning for others trying similar activities.  Why people are moaning about it being withdrawn when all punters bets on anything else in the race was probably dead money seems ridiculous to me.

and lets not forget that his other horse was beaten into second by the other gamble Laffan.

The classic  "it made a noise" when Aces Full pulled up at Stratford

-------------

The NTF's chief executive Paul Johnson said: "We are in dialogue with the BHA to understand the situation that led to the withdrawal of Aces Full before the race at Exeter on Tuesday."

In four starts under rules in Ireland, Aces Full had managed no better than sixth, while after his debut for Curran at Stratford last October, the trainer had told stewards he had been pulled up when making a noise.

The BHA's integrity department also directed the stewards at Wolverhampton to hold an inquiry into a gamble on Lafan before the 7.00 race on Tuesday but, after interviewing trainer Barry Brennan, the horse was allowed to run and won comfortably at 7-2, beating the Curran-trained favourite, Give A Little Back.

exactly wallis , there always might be some suggestion that the doubles were in fact backing against a Curran favourite with Lafan . I'm surprised at the response on here . A fairer game certainly makes my game easier.

We will have to see what the results of this are but like you Hushwing I just dont get the response to this.  If (and I saw IF) it turns out that accounts linked to a stable are backing their own at a massive price and doubling up AGAINST their own favourite later on then that surely is reason enough to step in.   They wouldnt be going through all this without a very good reason.

NTF seeks further information in the case of gambled-on horse withdrawn by stewards

The National Trainers Federation has approached the BHA on behalf of Sean Curran to seek further detail in the case of Aces Full, the gambled-on horse withdrawn by stewards at Exeter on Tuesday at the behest of the authority's integrity department.
The trainer was interviewed by stewards about Aces Full, who was backed into 9-4 favourite from an opening show of 14-1, before what was set to be his first start since being pulled up in October on his sole run for the yard.
Curran was asked to provide details concerning "the selection of the race for the gelding, their expectations for today, and the riding instructions given".
The horse was subsequently withdrawn by the stewards and the matter referred to the integrity department, a situation that left Curran "shocked and flabbergasted".
Curran continued to give media interviews on Wednesday, while the BHA refused to offer any comment on an ongoing integrity investigation. It is not believed there is currently any restriction on future entries being made for Aces Full.
The Racing Post has received a number of letters about the matter, expressing concern over the lack of transparency around the decision by the BHA.
The NTF's chief executive Paul Johnson said: "We are in dialogue with the BHA to understand the situation that led to the withdrawal of Aces Full before the race at Exeter on Tuesday."
In four starts under rules in Ireland, Aces Full had managed no better than sixth, while after his debut for Curran at Stratford last October, the trainer had told stewards he had been pulled up when making a noise.
The BHA's integrity department also directed the stewards at Wolverhampton to hold an inquiry into a gamble on Lafan before the 7.00 race on Tuesday but, after interviewing trainer Barry Brennan, the horse was allowed to run and won comfortably at 7-2, beating the Curran-trained favourite, Give A Little Back.

I think they see him and others as undesirable…imo

I couldn’t see them telling Stoute,Gosden and other group trainers who’s horses have shortened in the betting to withdraw

Ffs….

But then I don't suppose Stoute and Gosden need to pull a fast one so to speak.

No but staff and punters do follow……

I take it you don’t remember Stoute and Willie Carson during the 7st 13 days…..

>Follow the money
Who, how much, and from where did the alarm bells start a ringin'
Were there chunky wagers involving Aces Full + Lafan.
Was it just coincinky that a mule with no discernible form was sent over the water and happened to attract a chunk of money.

BHA attract criticism as to the length of time it takes these enquiries to be resolved.

Sean/John Curran could contact Nathan who was on the chase and spent 6 years at the BHA with time spent in their integrity dept.

Trainer knows more than he has let on - proper jigger. Even had the nerve to say "we need winners" like this when it had been beaten out of sight previously.

PREMIUM
Still no answers from the BHA over Aces Full Exeter mystery - the wall of silence is a backwards step

author image
Lewis Porteous
Reporter

Exeter: the scene of a now infamous novice chase last week
Exeter: the scene of a now infamous novice chase last week
Credit: Alan Crowhurst
It is striking that in the week of the most famous jumps race in the world, a Class 5 handicap chase for novices run for £9,000 at Exeter vied for the headlines with the build-up to the £1 million Grand National. It’s even more striking that the talking point of the race was a horse who didn’t even take part.

The BHA's decision to withdraw Aces Full when he was already in the parade ring at Exeter having been backed into 9-4 (from 14-1) on the day of the race was always going to cause a stir, but the lack of information as to why it had reached that decision on the day and the subsequent radio silence from the governing body unnecessarily inflamed the situation.

The only information which accompanied Aces Full's withdrawal was a note on the Exeter stewards' report reading: "At the request of the Integrity Department of the British Horseracing Authority, the connections of Aces Full were interviewed by the stewards before this race and asked to provide information regarding the selection of the race for the gelding, their expectations for today, and the riding instructions given. Following the stewards' inquiry, the horse was withdrawn, and the matter referred to the BHA Integrity Department for further investigation."

When asked for more information on the day, the BHA said "we are unable to provide any further details on this matter at the present time", and there has been little to add from the governing body since. So a week on, we remain in an unacceptable state of flux where we still don't actually know why the horse was withdrawn.

As far as I'm aware, the circumstances leading to Aces Full’s withdrawal are unprecedented and demanded a detailed and robust explanation of what had transpired to maintain the confidence of the betting public and the wider sport. Instead, we don’t even know under what rule the decision was made.

I tried to press this case to the BHA last week but was told that "any investigation must be allowed to be carried out in the proper way and this is why we are consistent, when asked for comment in any such situation, that we do not comment on ongoing investigations, or on speculation regarding potential investigations".

The BHA, when asked, did highlight rules (A)8 and (H)7 as the two which give it the power to withdraw a horse, yet was unwilling to confirm under which of those two rules Aces Full had been taken out. The first tells us little other than highlighting the BHA can take "any action necessary" to discharge its functions and operate the rules, while the second states the stewards can withdraw a horse "if they are not satisfied that it is qualified for that race", which potentially hints at something amiss. But of course we’re just guessing in lieu of concrete information.

British racing has never been more transparent than it is now but shedding so little light on this case feels like a retrograde step and even begs the question whether the BHA is convinced by its own decision at Exeter.

The authority should have been on the front foot from the moment Aces Full was withdrawn, spelling out why the initial decision had been taken and what the next steps would be, but by retreating hastily to the trenches it has allowed conspiracy theories to run wild.

If Aces Full was withdrawn because of an ownership issue, then tell us. If it was purely down to concerning betting patterns, then tell us. If there were wider concerns that perhaps another stable might also have been involved, then tell us. But choosing to say nothing while speculation runs rife is surely the worst possible policy.


Shaun Parker:
Shaun Parker: has helped lift the secrecy surrounding the stewards' room
Credit where it is due to the BHA's Shaun Parker, who has helped lift the secrecy of what goes on in the stewards' room on a raceday since he was appointed to the head of stewarding role in 2019. He has led by example in that respect and, when big decisions are made, he is always willing to expand on the process taken in the stewards' room, which is why it is so disappointing to have been left in the dark when a case of this significance comes along.

When I reported from the Spring Carnival in Melbourne back in 2015, I was amazed at the lengths which officials in Australia went to to make sure communication channels with connections, participants and the press were always open.

Reporters even had the option to go into the stewards' room when an inquiry was ongoing to hear the evidence for themselves. That was almost eight years ago and, while good progress has been made in Britain since then under Parker’s watch, last week showed we are still lagging behind other major racing jurisdictions.

If there was one thing the Grand National highlighted, it was surely the power of speaking up. Where would we have been last week if the likes of Kevin Blake and Richard Hoiles had not challenged the animal rights protesters? The same goes for Jockey Club chief Nevin Truesdale, who was on the front foot in interviews before and after Saturday's big race.

Communication is king, which is why it's such a shame events at Exeter have been met with a wall of silence.

Not really sure what it all means, but here is Darren Egan replying to Declan Murphy on Facebook. ..

This is shocking behaviour at the highest level. Racing has lost its soul , the powers that be are pandering to the only people that profit from racing. Racing has never been in a worse state , all because of the powers that be. Just look at the Robbie Dunn, Briony frost case, and the misunderstanding of the whip , and no more needs to be said. I was involved in racing at the highest level, and the industry now embarrasses me.
Reply18 h
Darren Egan
Declan Murphy it would have been even more embarrassing for Sean Curran and Barry Brennan ..!!
If we are led to believe that some of his connections , if not themselves , backed both horses in the Big Double ,
If ACES FULL was allowed to run and won , then imagine how both would have felt if SEAN CURRANS horse " GIVE A LITTLE BACK " the fav for the evening race beat LAFAN to knock the Big Double down ..!!! Can ya see now why the Stewards took control here ..
It's not like the Big Double concerned two Curran horses ..
Do ya not feel that the running that GIVE A LITTLE BACK put in at Wolves could seriously affect the outcome here ..!!
The clue here is in the last sentences of this article , and it speaks volumes ..
P.S. the Irony here is a horse I mentioned " GIVE A LITTLE BACK " I'm sure ya heard that quote on many an occasion in the past ..!!
Especially after riding in the famous Black n White Silks with Red n White Hopped Cap ..
Fine jockey ya were too.

Just let the horses run. It's what they are bred for and love to do (just borrowing a quote from a GN winning trainer). Then suspend payment to the unscrupulous individuals engineering the betting (fraudulent) coup. Post this ban them for life, if found guilty.

There are so many dodgy races every day where form is a fiction of imagination. And, it's not Irish Racing specific.