Geoff Banks is seeking the support of his fellow bookmakers and other interested parties in pursuit of his claim for damages against racing’s ruling body, having been faced with the possibility that the case could become much more expensive than seemed likely at first. A potential stumbling block is that the representative body of racecourse bookmakers is itself on the brink of litigation with Cheltenham racecourse, making it less likely to support other court actions.
Banks’s case arises from the chaos in the betting ring at Ascot last July, when a series of contradictory announcements by officials led to bookmakers paying out more than they should have done after a botched stewards’ inquiry involving the International Handicap favourite Speculative Bid. The British Horseracing Authority subsequently apologised but refused to offer compensation.
Outraged, Banks raised a small claim against the BHA for the £250 he claims to have lost thereby but, days before the Cheltenham Festival, a judge approved the BHA’s motion seeking to move the case into a higher court on the grounds of its legal complexity. As a result, Banks will be liable for the BHA’s legal expenses in the event of defeat, which he would not have been in the small claims court.
While he found sympathy from his fellow layers when discussing the case at Cheltenham last week, Banks now seeks more substantial backing. “I’m going to contact every bookmaker who was at Ascot that day and ask for their support,” he said. “It’s an important case for bookmakers to pursue. They shouldn’t just ignore it as my fight alone. It would set down a clear marker about the BHA’s responsibility to racecourse bookmakers for many years to come.”
Banks found some vocal support from Robin Grossmith, a director of the Federation of Racecourse Bookmakers, who said yesterday: “Geoff is a man of character and principle and he knows what he’s saying is right. I support his position and I don’t think any bookmaker would say any different. There is a duty of care [owed by the BHA].
“The whole thing is a massive embarrassment to the BHA and all they’re trying to do is make it go away, they’re bashing the small guy over the head. If the BHA wanted a level playing field, they could agree to fight this case on the basis that both sides bear their own costs.”
However, Grossmith doubted that FRB funds could be made available to support Banks’s case, as the FRB is in dispute with Cheltenham over allocation of pitches on its See You Then terrace behind the grandstand, with a writ possibly days from being served.
“I think Geoff’s best line of attack is to perhaps contact some of the bigger off-course firms and the other bookmakers who were at Ascot to see if we can get together some sort of fighting fund,” Grossmith added.
“I was there that day and I’d be the first one to write Geoff a cheque to contribute. It only cost me £370 but that’s not the point. It cost other bookmakers there more and it cost the off-course industry a considerable amount.
“If the BHA are wrong in this case, which I clearly think they are, they’d have to be held to account for all the other mistakes they make which cost the betting industry a fortune.”
Those comments were echoed by Tony Styles, another FRB director, who said: “I agree with Geoff 100% but the FRB wouldn’t want a fight on two fronts.”
Annie Power is to line up next in a Grade One hurdle on Grand National day, a clear sign of Willie Mullins’s interest in becoming champion British jumps trainer for the first time. After a highly successful Cheltenham, the Irishman lags about £120,000 behind Paul Nicholls and said on Tuesday that his Champion Hurdle-winning mare could try to close that gap for him by lining up at Aintree.
Nor is Mullins the only overseas trainer with designs on British prizes. The US-based Wesley Ward said he was hoping to give Create A Dream her first outing in the Brocklesby at Doncaster next week.
“The plan is for the horses to stay at Manton [in Wiltshire] and we’ll see if they are worthy of making it to Royal Ascot,” Ward said. “We’re really excited about it and we’re expecting big things from Create A Dream, bigger things than the Brocklesby, even though it is a historical race.”
