6 year ban for horseracing cheat
05 February 2008
As part of his regulatory and disciplinary practice, Rupert Mayo was recently instructed by horseracing's governing body, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), to prosecute a case of breathtaking intrigue and daring, involving conditional jockey Richard Tierney and his father Robert, a farrier and one-time trainer based in Yorkshire. Unbeknown to its owner or its trainer, racehorse KING'S CREST was entered into two point to point races under the guise of the Tierney's own point to pointer GREEN ADMIRAL. The horse won both races and questions were asked as to why it had done so well. The answer, following a three-day inquiry at racing's HQ in Shaftesbury Avenue, was that KING'S CREST was a "ringer". An excuse that the "real" horse's white markings had been obliterated by oil from a horse-walker were rejected out of hand by the Disciplinary Panel who imposed an unprecedented 6-year ban on Robert Tierney for committing one of the most shameful forms of cheating in the racing calendar.
Read the BHA Disciplinary Panel's full judgement here.