Ahern hit with ten year ban

Group One-winning jockey Eddie Ahern has been disqualified for a total of 10 years following the conclusion of a British Horseracing Authority corruption hearing.

Ahern, 35, was found guilty of conspiring to commit a corrupt or fraudulent practice in relation to the laying of five horses between September 2010 and February 2011.

He was also found in breach of intentionally failing to ensure Judgethemoment was ridden on its merits at Lingfield in January 2011, and of passing information for reward.

Former West Bromwich Albion footballer Neil Clement has been disqualified from the sport for a total of 15 years and three months, and fined £3,000.

Clement faced charges relating to the five races Ahern rode in and also the laying of Hindu Kush, which he then owned, when that horse finished last of six at Kempton in February 2011.

The 34-year-old was found guilty of conspiring to commit a corrupt or fraudulent practice, of placing a lay bet on Hindu Kush and of a failure to provide phone records.

Ahern's solicitor Christopher Stewart-Moore said his client intends to appeal both the BHA disciplinary panel's findings and the severity of the suspension.

Stewart-Moore said in a statement issued to Press Association Sport: "Eddie Ahern is absolutely devastated by the BHA Panel's findings.

"He did not breach the rules of racing as found by the panel or at all and he will be appealing both the findings as well as the very harsh penalties imposed on him."

Ahern's counsel, Jonathan Harvie QC, felt his client had been "hard done-by".

He said: "I am reflecting on it that no doubt if you are counsel for somebody you have a more sympathetic view on it than the tribunal. I just happen to think he was hard done-by.

"You have to have got through the hearing to have framed a view about the merits.

"They took one view, and Christopher Stewart-Moore and I took a slightly different view.

"Justice is an imperfect thing because people decide. Some people say one thing, some people say another, and a decision is reached.

"History is littered with imperfect decisions. I'm not for a moment criticising the tribunal. They came to a decision in no doubt good faith. I happen to think that there might have been a different view. There might have been a better view.

"But it's not for me to impugn the judgement of the tribunal. He wants to appeal."

The most serious breach against Ahern was his failure to ride Judgethemoment on its merits at Lingfield on January 21, 2011.

The Jane Chapple-Hyam trained gelding finished last of seven runners in a two-mile handicap, having been well clear at the halfway stage.

Harvie accepted his client had rode "an ill-judged race", but denied he had engaged in a deliberate attempt to destroy Judgethemoment's chances by going off too fast.

Ahern's explanation for the ride was that he misjudged the pace and did not realise he was so far ahead.

The BHA disciplinary panel said it "could not accept that a jockey of Ahern's experience, especially on the all-weather at Lingfield, could have made an error of such an extent".

A statement from the Panel said it considered an eight-year ban was appropriate for the conspiracy of the Judgethemoment breach, that it was a stopping ride that was more than a "mere momentary act. It was planned and done for reward".

It added: "Stopping a horse is just about the worst breach a jockey can commit, and all must understand that potentially career ending penalties will follow."

But the Panel also decided to impose a further two-year disqualification for the other aspects of the conspiracy in which it said Ahern was engaged "i.e. the passing of inside information to Mr Clement for reward in four other instances occurring between September 2010 and February 2011."

The penalties are to run concurrently, from Wednesday, May 22, 2013 until May 21, 2023 inclusive. He will not be able to ride pending the appeal.

The BHA said Clement's wagers against Judgethemoment included a spread bet, in which he risked a maximum loss of £41,500 to win what was in the end £8,500.

Clement, who retired from football in January 2010 because of a knee injury, also admitted to having used inside information for betting against Stoneacre Gareth at Lingfield on March 9, 2011.

His total ban was 15 years and three months, and he was also fined £3,000.

James Clutterbuck, son and assistant to Stoneacre Gareth's trainer, Ken Clutterbuck, was found guilty of passing on inside information at a separate hearing.

The BHA said Clutterbuck entered a guilty plea on a factual basis, which was accepted.

Clutterbuck's solicitor, Keith Lobo, of London-based St John Legal, said his client will contest the severity of the suspension.

A statement issued by Mr Lobo to Press Association Sport read: "Mr Clutterbuck was heard in advance by the BHA and separately from the other respondents having admitted to an innocent breach of the rules. There was no question of Mr Clutterbuck having received any financial reward or having acted dishonestly.

"Upon receipt of the admission and hearing submissions in mitigation, the BHA decision was to disqualify my client for 30 months without any fine being imposed.

"Although we will in due course be making an application for dispensation in any event to enable Mr Clutterbuck to renew work within the industry as soon as possible, following advice and in light of previous authorities he has decided to appeal the decision.

"In my view, keeping in mind that his breach was innocent, that his role was relatively innocuous, his exemplary record and the case authorities referred to, the 30-month period is extremely harsh.

"He stands a good chance of a reduction to that period on appeal. The appeal has been lodged and we are currently waiting for a hearing date."

Former registered owner Michael Turl was charged with conspiring to commit a corrupt or fraudulent practice over Stoneacre Gareth's race and was earlier this month disqualified for two years and fined £10,000.

In-running punters Martin Raymond and Paul Hill were accused of having received inside information as part of the Stoneacre Gareth case but have been cleared of all charges.

Raymond said: "I'm very pleased it is all over, I was surprised it got as far as charges in the first place. I'm delighted to have my name cleared. My solicitor Rory Mac Neice has been superb. It hasn't come as a great surprise but it's still a huge relief."

Hill said: "I don't know how it got to this stage, but I'm well pleased. There was only ever going to be one outcome. I knew in December we were going to be cleared - and that's exactly what happened."

County Tipperary-born Ahern was a former champion apprentice in Ireland in 1997, with his first major winner in Britain coming the following year when the Michael Grassick-trained San Sebastian claimed the Ascot Stakes at Royal Ascot.

In recent years he has been used by a number of top trainers, including Sir Henry Cecil, for whom he won the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2009 on the Khalid Abdullah-owned Father Time.

Ahern also won the Musidora Stakes at York in 2010 on Aviate for Cecil and Abdullah.

He gained Group One glory in 2011 when dead-heating on John Gosden's Duncan in the Irish St Leger, a second top-level success for the rider after Grassick's Preseli won the 1999 Moyglare Stud Stakes.

Ahern struck up a fruitful partnership with Donald McCain's popular dual-purpose star Overturn, winning the Northumberland Plate in 2010 and going on to lift the Chester Cup the following year. Ahern and Overturn were also second in the 2011 Chester Cup.

A familiar sight on John Dunlop's string, Ahern was part of an emotional day for the now-retired Arundel handler when Times Up lifted the Doncaster Cup last season, a final big-race success for the veteran trainer.

Adam Brickell, Director of Integrity, Legal and Risk for the BHA, said: "Today's findings have confirmed that another network of corruption has been successfully prosecuted by the BHA, resulting in a total of four individuals being disqualified from racing, including the jockey Eddie Ahern.

"The clear message from this, and other cases heard in the last 18 months, should be that the BHA is better equipped than ever at pinpointing and prosecuting malpractice. The penalties imposed as a result of these cases being heard should serve as a deterrent to others.

"The links we have developed with betting organisations and the advances made in our sharing of data and intelligence mean that we are increasingly effective at gathering evidence that leads to prosecutions.

"This investigation was another landmark in terms of our intelligence and evidence gathering capabilities as it was the first occasion on which we have received assistance from a spread betting company to bring a successful prosecution.

"We have now sought and received significant cooperation on a voluntary basis from more than one such firm and we hope that this is a resource we will continue to be able to turn to in future investigations.

"Meanwhile we continue to await Government's improvements to the overall legislative framework that will ensure all operators are mandated to share such information with us, and other sporting bodies."