Jockey given ten-year ban for role in illegal betting scheme
A jockey has been hit with a mammoth ten-year ban for his role in an illegal betting scheme. The scheme saw a professional punter spend £1.25million betting on losers. One jockey has been banned for 10 years due to an illegal betting schemeGetty The jockey, Lewis German, appeared before the Victoria Racing Tribunal in Australia and was handed the decade-long ban. The inquiry heard that Noah Brash, a professional punter, placed 89 lay bets – a bet on someone NOT to win – during a four-month period. Of those 89 bets, a staggering 87 of them came back successfully. As a result, Brash landed a profit of £127,000. German, the 25-year-old jockey, was never found to have earned any money from the illegal betting scheme. Adrian Anderson, representing local stewards, said the case struck “at the heart of the image and integrity of the racing industry”. Anderson added that a 20-year ban for German would have been appropriate, but that in light of the jockey’s guilty plea and other mitigating factors, a ten-year ban was fair. Brash received a ten-year ban from all racecourses in a hearing in December. While admitting to three of the charges against him, German described the penalties against him as ‘ridiculous’. He said: “Obviously, I am here today to plead my guilt. I feel that penalties that the stewards are pushing for are, in my opinion, ridiculous. German described the penalties against him as ‘ridiculous’Getty “I feel that as an apprentice jockey, it’s the first part of your career and it’s a learning curve. “Everyone makes mistakes. “I feel that Mr Brash had manipulated certain people extremely well to the point where I think that the stewards can’t even see it. “I have never profited from this whole scheme as they call it and none of the bets were actually mine so at the end off the day, I can’t see how 15 years for Charge 4 is even relevant when people are getting three weeks for the same thing pretty much if people open their eyes. But that’s my opinion. “I am not here to tell a sad story. “I am here to apologise to the racing community and to everyone who trusted in me. I feel like I let them down. A professional punter won £1.25m and has also been bannedGetty “I have not received any money. I believed there was going to be money. “I was told that I would be paid at the start but I was probably gullible at the time.” As well as being found not to have reported a previous approach from a punt where he was offered £2500 not to ride a horse, German also failed to disclose that he has opened two betting accounts and was found to have engaged in conduct that was prejudicial to the image of horse racing. According to Racing.com, tribunal chair Judge John Bowman said: “We are of the view that the appropriate penalty for this offence is a disqualification for a period of ten years.”
A jockey has been hit with a mammoth ten-year ban for his role in an illegal betting scheme.
The scheme saw a professional punter spend £1.25million betting on losers.
The jockey, Lewis German, appeared before the Victoria Racing Tribunal in Australia and was handed the decade-long ban.
The inquiry heard that Noah Brash, a professional punter, placed 89 lay bets – a bet on someone NOT to win – during a four-month period.
Of those 89 bets, a staggering 87 of them came back successfully.
As a result, Brash landed a profit of £127,000.
German, the 25-year-old jockey, was never found to have earned any money from the illegal betting scheme.
Adrian Anderson, representing local stewards, said the case struck “at the heart of the image and integrity of the racing industry”.
Anderson added that a 20-year ban for German would have been appropriate, but that in light of the jockey’s guilty plea and other mitigating factors, a ten-year ban was fair.
Brash received a ten-year ban from all racecourses in a hearing in December.
While admitting to three of the charges against him, German described the penalties against him as ‘ridiculous’.
He said: “Obviously, I am here today to plead my guilt. I feel that penalties that the stewards are pushing for are, in my opinion, ridiculous.
“I feel that as an apprentice jockey, it’s the first part of your career and it’s a learning curve.
“Everyone makes mistakes.
“I feel that Mr Brash had manipulated certain people extremely well to the point where I think that the stewards can’t even see it.
“I have never profited from this whole scheme as they call it and none of the bets were actually mine so at the end off the day, I can’t see how 15 years for Charge 4 is even relevant when people are getting three weeks for the same thing pretty much if people open their eyes. But that’s my opinion.
“I am not here to tell a sad story.
“I am here to apologise to the racing community and to everyone who trusted in me. I feel like I let them down.
“I have not received any money. I believed there was going to be money.
“I was told that I would be paid at the start but I was probably gullible at the time.”
As well as being found not to have reported a previous approach from a punt where he was offered £2500 not to ride a horse, German also failed to disclose that he has opened two betting accounts and was found to have engaged in conduct that was prejudicial to the image of horse racing.
According to Racing.com, tribunal chair Judge John Bowman said: “We are of the view that the appropriate penalty for this offence is a disqualification for a period of ten years.”
