Reporter of the Year

REPORTER

of the Year

BILL BARBER

CHRIS COOK LEE MOTTERSHEAD

MARCUS TOWNEND

THE NOMINATIONS

L L ORD GLITTERS GLITTERS

CHELTENHAMGOLD CUPPRICEWISETom Segal puts the festival highlight under themicroscope in our latest ante-post special Pages 12-18 CHELTENHAMGOLD CUPGOLD PRICEWISE m Segal puts the festival highlight under the m Segal puts the festival highlight under themicroscope in our latest ante-post special microscope in our latest ante-post special Pages 12-18 ges 12-18L E BRIVIDO E BRIVIDO IT’S ONE OF A LOCKINGE L NEWS WS

EDWARD WHITAKER (RACINGPOST.COM/PHOTOS)

GREA TWO-MCHASE The top 50 continuesPage 7 China Horse Clubrevealed as majorAlizeti investor INSIDE: PULLOUTGUIDE TOTHE ITM STALLIONTRAIL ARE THE BIGGUNS MISFIRING Richard Forristalon the form ofWillie Mullinsand GordonElliott Page 6

Thebirchgoesflying at Tauntonduring the first hunter theseason. All the stories from yesterdayinTalk of the chase of Tracks, page10

By Bill Barber

Today’s cards J Leicester12.35 44 | J Catterick12.25 24 | AW Southwell 12.45 30 | INVESTORS in the Alizeti Group that islooking to takecontrol of the Tote includethe China Horse Club, which in the spaceofjustafewyearshasrisentobeoneofthemajor powers in global horseracing.Theidentitiesofmanyoftheshareholdersin Alizeti, which holds a 25 per cent stakein the Tote with Fred Done’s Betfredcontrolling the remainder, have beenrevealed in documents lodged withCompanies House.Champion Horse Assets Corp is thelargestofthoseshareholderswithaholdingContinues page 2

China Horse Clubrevealed as majorAli ti on the form of on the form ofWillie Mullins Willie Mullinsand GordonElliott Page 6 ge 6

of the Tracks, page 10 Funding as lev ye e income falls LEVY YIELD OVER THE LAST 15 YEARS front page

By Bill

INVESTORS in the Alizeti Groupe Group that isatlooking to take control ofcontrol the Tote includethe China Horse Club, which in e China se Club, h the spaceeof juof stafewyears hasars risentobeone ofone themajor powers in global horseracing.obal horThe identities of many ofThe tiesof y the shareholderein Alizeti, which holds a 25 per cent in Alizeti, which holds a 25 per cent 4.7m

Racing hit by shock £17m levy

in GREAT EDWARD WHITAKER (RACINGPOST.COM/PHOTOS) bombshell By Bill Barber BRITISH racing’s leaders have launched an urgent plan of action after receiving the bombshell news that income from the levy – the sport’s central funding system – has fallen unexpectedly drop

BILL BARBER

My story on racing’s shock £17 million levy drop came from a conversation with a contact who I had originally called about something else completely.

It was in the midst of that chat that the possibility of racing having received bad news over the levy was mentioned - as I recall the words “black hole” were used. For the next few days I made calls to various people, gleaning information but nothing I could attribute to anybody. However, by the end of the week I was happy I had enough to write a story and made contact with the relevant people to warn them to expect something on our website later that morning. The story that appeared in the paper was not the original, as not long after it was published on the Racing Post website a statement appeared from British racing which confirmed my initial story had been correct. Well, not absolutely correct. For those who think journalists exaggerate everything, the original story had spoken of a £15 million black hole, a figure which had come from one source and which another contact had subsequently told me was “in the right ballpark”. It turned out I had pitched the figure £2m too low.

This article is more than 8 months old Cheltenham plan Festival fence change to reduce risk for horses and jockeys

• Oneofthetrickieststeeplechasefencestobemoved • ‘Ifyoucanmakeany adjustmentsthathelpthings,youdo’ ExclusivebyChrisCook

ThisThis Mon article is morearticle is more4 Feb 2019 18.03than thanGMT 3 months months old old WhyWhy sec secretret trainertrainers s havehave become become a a worrworry y forfor offic officials ials and and puntepunters rs

• Concernsraisedoverdeceptionsatlicensedstables • Officialsfeelpowerlessafter casedroppedin2014 ExclusivebyChrisCook

Tue 9 Jul 2019 13.44 BST

This article is more than 9monthsold BHAforcedtorowbackonchiefexecutive’scomments onwhipuse • NickRustcommentedondiscussionsnotyettakenplace • TheNewOneretiresas BrainPowerwinstheday This article is more than monthsold BHAforcedtorowbackon nchiefexecutive’scom onwhipuse t kenplace TheNewOneretiresas Followers of British racing are regularly deceived as to who trains certain racehorses, according to documents seen by the Guardian. The sport’s senior officials believe that in many cases horses are being trained by someone other than the person named in the racecard but they feel powerless to act after failing to make charges stick in a high profile case five years ago ChrisCookatCheltenham

i to rowback on

CHRIS COOK

Stories are sometimes just handed to you. That’s how it was with the one about Cheltenham moving the second-last fence to reduce risk at the Festival, which someone unconnected with the track found out about and mentioned in the middle of a casual conversation.

As that conversation took place at the races, I feel it’s a point in favour of going racing as often as possible. You certainly have more chance of finding out things at the track than by working the phones and following Twitter, but it almost seems these days that going racing in midweek is a luxury for journalists, because we’re all under pressure of time and we have to keep the expenses down. Many press rooms aren’t nearly as busy as they should be. The Cheltenham story was a pleasure to write because it shows effort and expertise being employed by a great racecourse in the cause of ensuring a fair test for horses and jockeys. Most of the time, getting a story means you’ll be annoying somebody and from time to time I end up annoying one or more people at the British Horseracing Authority, the focus of my other two stories. I don’t like annoying anyone and the folk in their communications department are almost saintly in the patience they show me. But powerful folk must be held to account and I reckon the BHA isn’t subjected to enough oversight, so I’ll continue to take an interest in how power is wielded there and the impact it has on racing.

Bloodstock k bombbombshell:shell: : le leakedaked BHA BHABH report report repo calls for action to halt activities of ‘a small number of unscrupulous individuals who pose a real risk to the integrity and reputation of the entire industry ’

By Lee Mottershead

YESTERDAY AT CHELTENHAM Lee Mottershead AT CHELTEL N

THE Its a fesf tivai l Gemmell landTHERE is not a place in the racing world that makes memories as magical as this one, but thanks to wonderful people, not to mention two magnificent horses, it surpassed itself on an afternoon that will long be remembered for delivering t h rs in Lee Mottershead NHAM CRYING j emotm m ionao o l GraG de 1 vicv torio eies

Sires........................23 ............... GB 22; IRE 18 today’s runners ...........23

GB/IRE runners abroad23

Competition & Press ...................................101 .................................93 ’s a E CE RYIN l tearjerker ar s Fs rost and l 1

irrelevant

From front page

to be secret profiteering, agents representing two sides of the same transaction with at least one of those sides being una the fact, agents demanding “luc

Today’s s Trainers..........................22

Today’s s Flat Flat

participants appear to display high standards of integrity.

“However, the interviewee feedbac k also revealed a ledge and hical

practice is isA DAMNING light has been shone on the buying and selling of bloodstock in Britain with a BHA report calling for changes to an industry that is barely regulated, tarnished by unscrupulous individuals and populated by some players who are engaged in impr  practices that are potentially cr t’

Those were among the most stinging findings submitted to the BHA by former top policeman Justin Felice, who has urged key stakeholder groups to accept the bloodstoc should be regulated b a review which culminated in a report that is most critical of bloodstock agents – five per cent of whom, it is threat due tothe actions of a dangerous minority. According to the report, the major sales companies Tattersalls and nise the need for reform. he conclusions and ecommendations made in t purpose”, with agents, in ef entirely unregulated  Many industry participants admitt they had been victims of unet practices – or kne been – of 

LEE

MOTTERSHEAD

One of the benefits of having been around for a while in journalism is that people tell you stuff. One of my great fortunes is that what they tell me is often very interesting.

Two years ago people started to tell me about the shocking practices they regularly encountered when buying and selling horses. They confided in me because they felt unable to put their heads above the parapet but wanted their voices heard. With the help of a few brave people who were prepared to be quoted, I wrote about corruption, wrongdoing and unethical behaviour. This year I wrote about it again.

Like many others, I had been keen to see Justin Felice’s report into bloodstock malpractice. We knew it had been submitted to the BHA and that a handful of individuals in the industry had read it. Such a hot document is always liable to be leaked. Fortunately, in mid-August it was leaked to me.

The report needed to be read and interpreted rapidly. In one of the busiest but most exciting days I have experienced, the reading and interpreting led to the production of a big scoop and a series of pieces that told the racing and bloodstock world what Felice had found and recommended.

As I type this three months later the report has still not been published. That underlines why it was crucial we lifted the lid when the opportunity arose.

The sales ring has to change. If it does, and it absolutely should, I would like to think reporting played a significant part.

QQQ

Daily Mail, Wednesday, January 16, 2019 Racing out to ban dRones oveR feaRs punteRs cashing in

DISGRACED former Godolphin trainer MahmoodAlZarooni has written to BHA i man Nick Rust EXCLUSIVE TRAIN EXCLUSIVE by MARCUS MAR TOWNEND Racing CorrespondentRacingCor spondent LETME K Suits y w n o v e rBritish tracks whichthey claim are being usedto stream pictures togive punters an unfairadvantage.Track officials say the supermages provided by dronb

for betting exchange punters,giving those with access tothe pictures an early sight ofpotentially race-changing

EXcLUSIVE

TOWNEND Racing Correspondent y andany unauthorised use inthis instance potentially hasfurther safety and regulatoryimplications. ‘We appreciate the assistanceof local authorities, but weknow that these drones aregenerally being piloted fromublic rights of way outside ofourse land, which means we can do the issue

« unfair edge’iredge’

RA C E C o u R S E S ACECouRSES are pressing for pressinga c t i o n a g a i n s t action againstd r o n e s b e i n g drones beingf l o w n o v e r f l o w n o rB r i t i s h t r a c ks w h i c h which

RACECOURSES are pressing for action over what they claim is the unauthorised flying of drones on their property. Tracks claim that drones carrying cameras can stream pictures to their owners faster than conventional TV footage, which is delayed as it is beamed

RACECOURSES VOW TO TAKE ACTIONS W TAKEACTION cLUSIVE by M MaRcUS ‘ T h e u s e of d r o n es f o r ‘The use of dron forcommercial purposes is rightly commercial isvery heavily controlled by the very heavily ed byCivil l Aviation n Authority and tya n y u n a u t h o r i s ed u s e ri use

to satellites and back. This gives anyone receiving the pictures an edge over gamblers they are betting against. It is a form of gambling called ‘in-running betting’, which takes place on betting exchanges, whose customers can place bets anywhere on computers or phones. Drones have been seen at Leicester, Southwell and Wolverhampton. A spokesman for leading

EXCLUSIVE racecourse group ARC said: ‘The

By MARCUS TOWNEND Racing Correspondent broadcast rights of our live action a key part of our business, so we consider this unauthorised filming are

and broadcast as theft.’ CALAMITY KANE

FULL STORY — SEE pAp gE 70 Agony: Kane feels the pain after clash with Jones

GETTY iMAGES

MARCUS

TOWNEND

Timing is everything in sport, and in journalism as well sometimes. Writing about drones on racecourses shortly after the disruption at Gatwick airport caused by them meant the story had a lot more interest than I had originally imagined!

The story even made the Radio 4 Today Programme! There were a few follow-ups too surrounding how the top courses were preparing to counter drones at the major meetings. My research got off to a bad start though. Arriving at Leicester, I went to the middle of the course with photographer Dan Abraham to get a closer look at the building on the back straight used by the drone operators with links to in-running betting. They were there but when they did not fly a drone during the first race I thought we may have spooked them and that I may have had a wasted trip. However, when we retreated to the grandstand it was lift-off in the second race! The story I entered about Kieran Shoemark failing a drugs test for cocaine was elevated by him having ridden for the Queen. Having heard rumours of the story, it took a bit of patience to confirm so the main worry was one of my fellow nominees finding out! My third submitted story was about Mahmoud Al Zarooni, who has been exiled from the sport since admitting using anabolic steroids on his horses. His pleas for clemency came in the week of the St Leger, a race won by Encke, one of the horses he was found to have given the steroids. As I said, it’s all about timing.