Dylan Kitts admitted stopping Hillsin from winning following ‘threat’

Dylan Kitts admitted preventing Hillsin from running on his merits at Worcester in July 2023, with the rider stating he had been the victim of a threat.

In outlining the British Horseracing Authority’s case against Kitts, trainer Chris Honour and John Higgins – an associate of owner Alan Clegg, who has not been charged – at hearing in London, Louis Weston KC said the rider made the admission when initially interviewed in October 2023.

The raceday stewards held an inquiry into the running and riding of Hillsin after he finished third in the Wacky Weekender Festival Pitchcroft 21st-23rd July Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, with the matter subsequently referred to the BHA.

It was announced last week that the three had been charged with a breach of rule (J) 25 – committing, or conspiring to commit, a corrupt practice by agreeing to stop the horse from achieving his best possible placing.

Due to ill health Higgins was not involved in the process but in March 2024, Higgins, who is the father-in-law of Premier League footballer Ashley Barnes, was placed on the exclusion list by the BHA for his failure to cooperate in the investigation.

Barnes was also placed on the list after he and Higgins failed to provide their phone records.

Weston said: “Mr Kitts accepted the horse was given a stopping ride but went on to say he did so out of concern there was a threat by a gentleman called Mr Higgins, and confirmation that he should give a stopping ride and should not win the race for that was given by Chris Honour.”

This admission, said Weston, led the BHA to expand the investigation.

In showing video footage of the race, Weston said Kitts only made “a token effort from half a furlong or a quarter of a furlong out and never picks up his stick”.

Weston added: “What he does is he holds onto the horse, doesn’t let the horse have its head and holds it back. That is on any view a stopping ride.”

Honour was said to have spoken to Higgins 70 times on the phone between May 17 and July 5, 2023 while only speaking to Clegg 35 times. Weston was keen to stress Clegg had never been part of the investigation.

Having obtained telephone records from Kitts and Honour, but not Higgins, Weston went on to show a timeline of phone calls and messages between those allegedly involved.

Hillsin had joined Honour from Claire Harris, with Kitts having ridden the gelding in his final two starts for that yard.

Weston said: “Mr Higgins and his son-in-law Ashley Barnes, bet on it with relatively high levels of success.

“They’d won about £5,000. That appears to have led to Mr Higgins making contact with Mr Kitts and money being sent from Mr Barnes to Mr Kitts. The amount of money was £100.

“It’s slightly unusual, we say, for Mr Higgins, not the owner, to be sending money to Mr Kitts via his son-in-law. There was also a message which said, ‘Hi D, did you get the other?’ to which the answer came ‘Yes, many thanks’.

“That tells you that from April, Kitts and Higgins knew each other. Higgins was sending money to Kitts and they were in direct communication.”

Weston went on to say Higgins had raised the possibility to Honour that if things went well “more horses could come his way, flashing under his nose the prospect of his wealthy son-in-law”.

Honour was charged with encouraging Kitts to give a stopping ride, not giving sufficient instructions to his rider and misleading the stewards after the race.

In summing up, Weston said: “There is no issue that Mr Kitts stopped this horse. There is no issue either that the plan would be not to get caught, these people are not idiots.

“But Mr Kitts was caught because he did not stop the horse in an undetectable way, he did so in a way that is blindingly obvious. Because of that there then had to be a cover-up and some explanation found so lies were told in the stewards’ inquiry.

“Did Mr Kitts act alone? Obviously not, he had no reason to act alone and the evidence points to him having done it for other people.

“Mr Higgins was plainly involved, looking at the timeline, his submissions in interview and he had a financial relationship with Mr Kitts and his comments about ‘letting the cat out of the bag’ to Mr Honour.

“What about Mr Honour, his instructions were to hold the horse up all the way to the line. It doesn’t make any sense. Probability says the trainer knew what was going on.

“His evidence in the inquiry was misleading, he came out defending a conditional he’d never met before and hung everything on something that didn’t happen. He also admitted in messages to his friend he knew he was going to be in trouble.”

Higgins will not be attending the hearing but denies all charges, as does Honour, who along with Kitts is due to address the hearing on Tuesday.