Today’s best bets, by Chris Cook
I see from social media that some have not grasped how circumstantial the case is against the vet Tim Brennan, who has been facing a regulatory hearing at the British Horseracing Authority. Brennan, principal vet to Willie Mullins, denies a charge of having shared inside information about Faugheen with his brother, Michael, and the independent panel will publish its verdict this week.
I turned up on Monday morning expecting the BHA case to be strong, on the basis of what little information was known. When you hear that a vet’s brother bet against a horse we all thought was healthy when in fact it was crocked, well, it sounds damning.
But after years of investigation, a series of interviews and the probing of betting records, phone records and veterinary records, the BHA case has not advanced beyond the circumstantial. I’m sure it seemed a worthwhile case to pursue but one can’t always anticipate the holes a hearing may expose in a case.
Mullins gave evidence that, on 15 February 2016, which is when Michael Brennan began to lay Faugheen for the Champion Hurdle, the horse appeared sound. It was the first time Faugheen was ridden after being sore in the wake of his previous race, and he evidently showed no immediate ill effects, having done no more than walk for several days. As you’ve probably heard trainers say in relation to many other horses, it took until the following day for the horse to show he was lame once more, in the wake of exercise.
But the BHA barrister, Philip Evans QC, argued the horse must have shown signs of lameness after being ridden, making it clear he could not win the Cheltenham race, signs which Tim Brennan relayed to his brother, triggering the betting. If there was no negative information to share that day, Evans’s case fails. Is a panel likely to just ignore what Mullins told it?
Evans suggested Mullins’s memory may be letting him down about the state of Faugheen on the 15th but the barrister could produce no alternative evidence that the horse was in fact lame that day, beyond saying the betting evidence would not make sense if he were sound. But that evidence would make sense if Michael Brennan had placed his bets in response to a rumour about the horse’s health which he’d heard from a source other than his brother; the panel heard there were several routes by which rumours might have flowed to Michael from the nearby Mullins yard.
In evidence, Tim Brennan did not just say the thing that would best suit his defence. Evans asserted the brothers must have spoken on the 15th, though he had no direct proof; rather than deny it, Tim readily admitted they might have done, but insisted he would never have shared secrets with anyone about the horses under his care. I’d have liked to hear more about his relationship with Michael, said to be a regular gambler who was “embarrassed” at having got his brother into trouble through his betting but who nonetheless refused to assist in extricating him, the panel was told.
We’ll get the panel’s view on Tim Brennan in a few days but have they really heard enough to justify blowing a hole in a professional person’s livelihood and making a finding of dishonesty against him?
Turning to today’s action, the nap is Ange Des Malberaux (2.50) at Uttoxeter, where 10-11 is the price as Dan Skelton’s charge makes his chase debut off the same mark as the one from which he scored over hurdles on Saturday.
Skelton should follow up with I’m Always Trying (3.50), another last-time winner, at 7-4. But his Weightfordave could be vulnerable to the 11-4 shot Competition (3.20) from the on-fire yard of Dr Newland.
Uttoxeter 1.50 Tidal Watch 2.20 Lion Rouge 2.50 Ange Des Malberaux (nap) 3.20 Competition 3.50 I’m Always Trying 4.20 Vinnie Red 4.50 Longhouse Sale
Catterick 2.00 Deia Glory 2.30 Kraka 3.00 Claramara 3.30 Suitcase ‘N’ Taxi 4.00 Bidding War 4.30 Alsvinder 5.00 Dream Free
Lingfield 1.40 Cent Flying 2.10 Seductive 2.40 Roxy Art 3.10 Staffa 3.40 It’safreebee 4.10 Streets Of Joy 4.40 Francophilia 5.10 Trouble And Strife
Wolverhampton 5.20 De Little Engine 5.50 Barasti Dancer 6.25 Arabian Coast 6.55 Indian Tygress 7.30 Super Florence 8.00 Cue’s Folly 8.35 Fitzsimmons 9.05 Percy Prosecco
Yarmouth 5.35 Letmestopyouthere 6.10 Motalaqqy 6.40 Chippie Hill 7.15 Victory Angel 7.45 African Girl 8.20 La Isla Bonita 8.50 Spanish Star
Tips by Chris Cook.
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