The owner of beaten odds-on favourite Lively Knigh
The owner of beaten odds-on favourite Lively Knight was left ‘livid’ his horse lost at Plumpton to an unfancied outsider in a three strong field, a jury
heard today (Tuesday).
Surrey businessman Alan Weller believed he had been ‘stitched up’ by jockeys at the Sussex meeting in March 1997.
But the gelding was later found to have been nobbled with the powerful sedative ACP prior to the start.
At London’s Southwark Crown Court five men deny plotting to interfere with the fair running of horses during a month long conspiracy to defraud bookmakers in a betting scam.
Lively Knight’s trainer, Josh Gifford, who runs stables at Findon, Sussex, told the jury he believed the horse would win the Seeboard Novice Chase on March 29.
Describing the owner’s reaction, he said: ‘He was livid as you can imagine.
You just couldn’t talk to the man.
He was that wild there was smoke coming from
his ears.
‘He went berserk.
.
.
.
he was going to move the horse (to another stable).
.
.
and he eventually did.
‘
Mr Gifford added: ‘He was convinced the jockeys had stitched him up, there was no way you could talk to him as an owner.
‘
Jockey Leighton Aspell, riding Lively Knight, said he was under no specific instructions on the day from trainer Mr Gifford.
His own strategy, he said, was to ‘get a nice lead for as long as I could and take the race whenever I could.
‘
He said he believed the horse’s chances were ‘very good’ in such a small field of runners.
But Mr Aspell said even in the parade ring before the race he noticed Lively Knight was ‘very quiet’ rather than being ‘bouncy and bubbly’ before the off.
He told the court: ‘He was quiet.
Really lifeless, which is unlike him.
But horses are individuals, they have their own on and off days.
‘
Once the race began, he said his ride was ‘lacklustre’ when the horse was ‘usually the opposite.
‘
At first he believed Lively Knight did not like the firm ‘going’ at the course – or was suffering the effects of a long season.
Jockey Philip Hide, who won the race mounted on Stormhill Pilgrim, admitted he was usually the ‘stable jockey’ for Mr Gifford.
But, he said, he gave up the ride on Lively Knight to his junior Mr Aspell.
He admitted he believed he could beat favourite who would not like the going – therefore he set out in front in the hope Lively Knight would not be able to
catch up.
Stable girl Samantha Bentley, who looked after Lively Knight at the time, said she knew the animal ‘very well’ since he was first broken in as a race horse.
She said she rode the horse almost everyday except when it was racing.
And Miss Bentley described the gelding as being ‘as quiet as a lamb, quite a gentleman really’ – but said the horse would get worked up on race days.
She described how at Plumpton, Lively Knight had been alone in the course stables for between 15 to 20 minutes.
She said she returned to find the horse ‘hiding’ at the rear of its box – unlike when she left him to get something to eat.
Glen Gill, 34, of Highlands Road, Fareham, Hants, and formerly of Ambler Rise, Sheffield, Yorks; Jason Moore, 30, of Sands Way, Woodford Green, Essex; Ray
Butler, 52, of Cricklewood Broadway, Cricklewood, nw London; Adam Hodgson, 38, of Laurel Avenue, Langley, Slough, Berks; and John Matthews, 36, of Post Office Lane, Slough, deny conspiracy to defraud between March 1 and April 1, 1997.
The charge alleges they ‘conspired together and with others to defraud such bookmakers and persons who might be caused loss by the interference with the
fair running of horses in horse races by the administration of a performance inhibiting drug to a horse running in the said horse races.
‘
The case centres on the running of two horses – Avanti Express at Exeter on March 7, 1997, and Lively Knight at Plumpton on March 29, that year.
The
animals later failed dope tests.
ends
