GARY CARTER, RED LANCER & CHRISTOPHER COLEMAN

15 Jul 2004 Pre-2014 Releases

Gary Carter, Red Lancer & Christopher Coleman

Published: 15 July 2004

The Jockey Club announced today that two further investigations by the Security Department will result in Disciplinary Panel hearings. The jockey Gary Carter has been informed that he must attend a Disciplinary Panel hearing regarding the running of eight horses he rode between August and September 2003 and his association with Christopher Coleman, a person excluded by the Jockey Club in January 2003. Shaun Keightley, the trainer, and Pat McCabe, the jockey, have also been notified that they are required to attend a Disciplinary Panel hearing in connection with the running of Red Lancer at Wolverhampton in October 2003.

Gary Carter has been informed that the Disciplinary Panel will seek to establish whether or not he is guilty of, or has conspired with Christopher Coleman for, the commission of a corrupt or fraudulent practice by ensuring that certain horses he rode would not run on their merits or win or be placed in their respective races in the interests of bets laid on Betfair. Gary Carter also faces charges in relation to his association with Coleman, a person known to be excluded, and in respect of his failure to supply certain telephone billing accounts for a specific period considered relevant to the enquiries being made by the Security Department.

At a separate enquiry, the Disciplinary Panel will seek to establish whether or not Shaun Keightley and Pat McCabe, in their respective capacities as trainer and rider of Red Lancer, are guilty of, or conspired with Christopher Coleman for the commission of a corrupt or fraudulent practice by ensuring that Red Lancer would not win or be placed when the gelding ran at Wolverhampton on 20th October 2003, in the interests of bets laid in the ‘win’ and ‘place’ markets on Betfair.

Shaun Keightley also faces two further charges, namely hindering and obstructing a Jockey Club investigation with regard to statements given during an interview with an investigating Officer in March 2004, and associating with an excluded individual in connection with horseracing.

As yet, no dates for the disciplinary hearings have been set.

Christopher Coleman, a tailor by trade, is cited in both cases in relation to bets placed by him or on his behalf.

Christopher Coleman gave evidence in Southampton Crown Court in 2001 at the trial of former jump jockey Barrie Wright. Reporting restrictions were lifted in 2002 and in January the following year the Jockey Club’s Disciplinary Panel held a hearing and considered the transcripts of evidence given at the trial. The Panel found that Coleman had aided and abetted breaches of the Rules of Racing in that he had solicited and received information from Barrie Wright and that on frequent occasions he had passed on part of his winnings to Wright. They also concluded that he had rewarded other unidentified jockeys for information.

The Panel ordered Christopher Coleman to be excluded from all premises owned, licensed or controlled by the Stewards of the Jockey Club with immediate effect for an indefinite period. It further informed him that no application to have the Exclusion Order lifted would be considered before January 2005.

Christopher Coleman has now been informed that the Disciplinary Panel are to hold enquiries into his associations with Gary Carter, Shaun Keightley and Pat McCabe, and that they will consider whether or not to extend the date before which an application to lift the exclusion order imposed would be considered.

15th July 2004

Notes for Editors:

a) The running of the following horses are cited in Gary Carter’s alleged association with Christopher Coleman:

(1) MEADAAF at Newmarket on the 1st August 2003;
(2) ALJAZEERA at Doncaster on the 2nd August 2003;
(3) KRISTAL’S DREAM at Windsor on the 4th August 2003;
(4) DODONA at Lingfield on the 8th August 2003;
(5) TASNEEF at Lingfield on the 8th August 2003
(6) SILVALINE at Pontefract on the 17th August 2003;
(7) SAXE-COBURG at Warwick on the 25th August 2003;
(8) LILLI MARLANE at Ascot on the 26th September 2003.

b) In advance of the race at Wolverhampton on 20th October 2003 the Racecourse Stewards were alerted by the Security Department to irregular betting patterns involving Red Lancer. At the subsequent enquiry the stewards noted the explanations given by the trainer and jockey with regard to the horse’s slow start.

c) During their investigations the Security Department used the Memorandum of Understanding signed with betting exchanges in June 2003 and Rule 241 of the Rules of Racing which enables the Jockey Club to request billing accounts for both home and mobile telephones used by persons subject to the Rules of Racing.
Cont’d
d) In September 2003 the Jockey Club introduced restrictions on the use of jockeys’ mobile phones during racing in order to minimise the potential for privileged information to be passed on. From half an hour before racing until the final race calls by jockeys must be made from a designated phone zone in the weighing room. No incoming calls can be received and no text messages may be sent.

e) Rule 220 (iv) of the Rules of Racing refers to associations with “warned off people”, it states: ‘No person shall without the permission of the Stewards of the Jockey Club associate in connection with horseracing in Great Britain with any person known to be disqualified or otherwise excluded under Rule 2 (v) from any premises owned or licensed by the Stewards of the Jockey Club, whether or not constituting a breach of the Orders or Rules of Racing.’

End.