Owner accused of making 'unsubstantiated' claims about Ray Dawson following gelding's victory at Yarmouth

An owner was accused of “attempting to make smoke where there is absolutely no fire” in an effort to extricate himself from a charge of instructing a jockey to not win a race on his horse, a disciplinary panel heard on Wednesday.

Royston Barney has been charged with one breach of rule (F) 41 and his father Royston Cooper with two breaches of the same rule regarding two races in May 2022.

Barney, the final witness called before a disciplinary panel on Wednesday, denied he had instructed anyone to lose a race, nor did he threaten or “lambast” jockey Ray Dawson after his horse Enough Already won at Yarmouth on May 26, 2022.

The defence had proposed during the first two days of the hearing that Dawson, former trainer Henry Spiller and Craig Marshall, a friend of Spiller, had deliberately spoken negatively about Enough Already’s chances to Cooper and Barney to ensure the owners did not back the horse in order for them to get better odds to bet on the horse themselves.

Furthermore, Cooper and Barney alleged Dawson made a complaint to stewards at Yarmouth because their scheme had been uncovered by the owners, who were angry as a consequence.

Barney, who, like his father, operates park home businesses, told the panel that he had asked for Dawson to be removed from Enough Already after the horse was beaten at Brighton nine days before he ran at Yarmouth, with Stevie Donohoe and Frankie Dettori put forward instead.

The owner said he did not trust Dawson, and added: “In hindsight, watching a lot of races, I truly believe Ray Dawson stops and lays horses.”

Ray Dawson: won on Enough Already at YarmouthCredit: Edward Whitaker

The accusation was met with incredulity by Tim Hunter, representing the BHA, who said: “This is the first time you have mentioned this. You are attempting to make smoke where there is absolutely no fire. These are unsubstantiated [claims] and are being said to get you out of trouble.”

Panel member Clement Goldstone KC sought clarification from Barney’s legal representative Chris Hopkins, and said: “There is floating in the ether this idea Mr Dawson was not simply having a few bad rides but was ‘bent’, for want of a better term, and that was something that was never put to him.

“The linchpin of Mr Barney’s case when asked for a possible motive is that Mr Dawson was a bent jockey deliberately pulling horses and laying them off. Was it part of your instructions that he stops and lays horses [in general], not just in those races at Brighton and Yarmouth?”

In response, Hopkins said: “No, it hasn’t been.”

Barney also argued that Spiller deliberately talked down Enough Already’s chances because there “was bad feeling” between the two as well as to get a better price on the horse.

“Henry Spiller knew it was already at the end of the relationship,” he said. “I won a lot of money on a horse of his that was supposed to be sold but failed the vet and I think it was jealousy, if that’s the right word . . . I believe he didn’t want me to shorten the price and to miss out; there’s a lot of factors.”

In summing up, Hunter told the panel the scenario put forward by the defence “doesn’t make any sense”.

In response, the defence urged the panel to consider whether a desire for a horse not to win was the same as an explicit instruction not to do so. Adrian Keeling, representing Cooper, said: “If they are effectively floating it as an option and if it comes back to them as a ‘no’ then that falls short of it being an instruction to lose.”

The final day of the hearing is scheduled for Thursday when a verdict is set to be delivered.

Read more:

Owners 'were literally begging me' not to win at Brighton, alleges jockey Ray Dawson 

Former trainer Henry Spiller and jockey Ray Dawson allege owners threatened them following gelding's Yarmouth win 

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