BHA panel concludes Heffernan hearing

Saturday 19 January 2013, 12:22pm

Former Australian-based jockey Andrew Heffernan and eight unlicensed individuals will have to wait until next Friday to know their fate following a British Horseracing Authority disciplinary panel hearing over breaches of the rules of racing.

Ten days had been set aside for the hearing which began on Monday at the BHA's head office in London, but it concluded in just four.

Heffernan has been charged with communicating for reward information to betting exchange account holders over the prospects of horses he was riding in races, and unlicensed individuals acted on that information.

He is also charged with failing to ensure a horse ridden by him ran on its merits.

Among those also facing corruption charges are three footballers in Ipswich Town's Michael Chopra, former Manchester United player Mark Wilson and Doncaster Rovers winger James Coppinger.

The other five names are Yogesh Joshee, Paul Garner, Kelly Inglis, Douglas Shelley and Pravin Shingadia.

Chopra released a statement earlier this month revealing he could not afford to defend himself at the hearing and would welcome a ban so he could overcome a gambling addiction problem.

He, along with Garner, Joshee, Shelley and Wilson, have also been charged with offering bribes to Heffernan.

The BHA will make no comment regarding the hearing until the result and reasons are published, and will provide no indication as to which of the defendants did or did not attend the hearing.

The result of the hearing is expected to be published, with full written reasons, next Friday.

Any necessary penalty hearings will also be heard on this date, with penalties to be published later that afternoon.

Reasons for penalties will then follow in due course.

– PAA

Latest News

Prime Thoroughbreds - We have a Host of Leaders in our Team

Tuesday, 29 June 2021

Prime Thor­ough­bred’s cur­rent rac­ing team is putt­ing to­gether quite a re­cord. We have 22 hors­es that have raced in our team at pre­sent. Six­teen of th­ese are win­n­ers in­clud­ing the Stakes win­n­ing trio Ru­bisa­ki, Fituese and Xtreme­time with Miss Di­vine Em and Miss In Charge run­n­ing 4th in Stakes races. This sees a stakes win­n­er to win­n­er ra­tio of 18.75% with a stake’s per­formed to win­n­er ra­tio of 31.25%. Th­ese are ex­cep­tio­n­al fig­ures.   More »

Freedmans land maiden Group One win

Saturday, 27 February 2021

Un­der-rat­ed fil­ly For­bid­den Love has emerged as an au­tumn car­ni­val smokey with a bril­liant per­for­mance to win the Sur­round Stakes at Rand­wick.  More »

Capriccio completes Damian Lane treble

Saturday, 27 February 2021

In a big day for coun­try-trained hors­es, War­r­nam­bool fil­ly Capric­cio has tak­en out the In­glis Dash for Daniel Bow­man.  More »

More news headlines »