Owners in dispute with Dan Skelton over sale of George Gently demand update as BHA's investigation drags on

The owners at the centre of a long-running dispute with trainer Dan Skelton have written to the BHA to demand an update on the regulator's investigation, which is into its fifth year.

The complaint relates to the £130,000 sale of George Gently to a syndicate led by retired insurance underwriting director Tony Holt in October 2016. The syndicate alleges Skelton, who trained the then-three-year-old, secretly profited by £42,033 from the sale having held an undisclosed share in the horse.

George Gently sustained a serious tendon injury after his sale and was sold for £1,800 in May 2018 after two moderate runs for his new owners, who had previously enjoyed Cheltenham Festival success with the Skelton-trained Superb Story in the 2016 County Hurdle.

The syndicate claims that in a subsequent conversation with Yorton Farm Stud director David Futter, who was listed as the joint-owner of George Gently at the time of his sale, Holt was told that Skelton owned one-third of the horse and had received the equivalent amount from the sale proceeds.

Futter subsequently denied this, while Skelton's legal team stated that the £42,033 the trainer invoiced Futter in November 2016 was "in lieu of training fees incurred by Yorton-owned horses in Skelton's yard". The syndicate claims the amount, which is equivalent to one-third of £130,000 minus a bloodstock agent's 2.5 per cent commission plus VAT, is for payment of his alleged share in the horse. Skelton has denied he was a part-owner of George Gently.

Having initially dismissed the complaint brought by the syndicate, the BHA indicated in a letter to the owners in December 2021 that it intended to charge Skelton under two breaches of the trainers' code of conduct in respect to a licensed trainer's dealing with their owners.

However, no formal charge has been made public by the BHA and Skelton has previously indicated he had not received any charges from the authority.

In July, a high court civil claim brought by the syndicate in relation to the sale of George Gently was settled confidentially out of court. Alongside Skelton, the case had been brought against Futter, vet Paolo Guasco, Summerhill Equine Veterinary Practice, Dan Skelton Racing and Alne Park Stud Limited.

The BHA had paused its own investigation while the civil case was ongoing, but said following its conclusion that it was "looking to understand what has now happened and what has been agreed so that we can review our case".

Read this next:

Syndicate's civil case brought against trainer Dan Skelton over sale of horse settled out of court 

Dan Skelton to be charged by BHA over horse sale as owners seek further censure 

Dan Skelton alleges 'campaign' against him in argument over £42,000 payment 

Racing Post Members' Club: subscribe for just £9.99 

Do you want £400+ of free bets? Racing Post have got the best offers, all in one place. Visit racingpost.com/freebets to find out more.