Ashley Barnes father-in-law "conspired" with jockey to stop horse winning, BHA panel rules

The father-in-law of Burnley footballer Ashley Barnes conspired with a jockey to deliberately stop a horse from winning, an independent BHA disciplinary panel ruled on Friday.

John Higgins, 79, was accused of committing and conspiring to commit a corrupt or fraudulent practice by “agreeing to stop” Hillsin from achieving the best possible position, along with the jockey Dylan Kitts and the horse’s trainer Chris Honour. Kitts, 24, admitted in evidence to the inquiry that he had deliberately held back Hillsin when he finished third in a handicap hurdle at Worcester in July 2023 after drifting in the betting, but claimed he had done so after receiving a threat from Higgins.

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Honour denied the charges as did Higgins when his legal representative announced in the lead-up to the hearing that he would be taking no part in the inquiry due to medical issues. Higgins and Barnes were issued with exclusion orders by the BHA last year for failing to cooperate with the investigation. Neither Barnes nor Alan Clegg, the registered owner of Hillsin, were charged.

In the finding published on Friday, the panel members, chaired by HH Clement Goldstone KC, said they were "satisfied on the evidence" that Higgins and Kitts conspired together by agreeing to stop the horse.

They did not accept that Kitts's life or personal safety was in danger if he refused to follow his instructions.

However they were "not satisfied" that Honour was party to the conspiracy, but found the trainer guilty of misleading stewards by lying to them when he reported that the jockey told him the horse was hanging when no such conversation took place.

A separate sanctions hearing will be scheduled for another date to determine penalties.

In a lengthy statement on the outcome, the BHA said the Hillsin case was "so serious because it strikes at the very heart" of the expectation that racing is aclean and fair sport.

"We are pleased, therefore, that the independent Disciplinary Panel have found Dylan Kitts and John Higgins in breach of Rule (J)25.2 for conspiring together to stop Hillsin from achieving its best possible position at Worcester on 5 July 2023.

"The actions of those involved in this case are fundamentally incompatible with British racing’s values and are an affront to the many thousands of people, up and down the country, who dedicate their lives to this sport and to competing fairly.

"The outcome of this hearing demonstrates that our sport will not accept this sort of behaviour, and we will always do what we can to uphold our values and ensure everybody who loves racing can be confident in its integrity."

The regulator said the investigation team conducted 19 formal interviews and spoke to a further 21 individuals, while also carrying out telephone data extractions and examining bank records.