Harry Findlay has vowed to lodge an appeal after being warned off for six months in connection with laying his own horse, Gullible Gordon, on two occasions.

Harry Findlay charged by BHA

The owner and professional gambler was banned by the BHA from running his horses for six months and warned off from visiting racecourses after being found guilty of laying one of his own horses to lose on two occasions.

He was charged by the BHA last month and told of the news on Friday morning. Commenting on this harry Findlay said;

“I’m a gambler and all I have is my word. My CV wouldn’t get me a job stacking shelves at Sainsburys, all I have is my reputation.

“I understand why they don’t want people even hedging but they can’t destroy someone’s livelihood. I’m not talking as Harry Findlay here, I’m talking for racing.

“The people who ultimately decide if people are charged with gambling-related offences do not understand gambling. It cannot be right.”

It’s a joke, there was nothing bent about this event. If Gullible Gordon, who finished sixth, had won, the profit would have been £23,755.60. The loss was therefore £62,321.26. The second charge related to a race at Chepstow on October 10, 2009. If Gullible Gordon had been defeated, the loss would have been £31,966.33. He won the race, so the profit was £35,245.30.

Betfair said; “We understand that whilst this may have been a technical breach he was, in effect, overwhelmingly a net backer of the horses in question.

“When the rule was introduced the then Jockey Club made clear that it was a rule that necessarily had to be applied in spirit as well as in law. We do not believe the punishment to be proportionate or, for that matter, consistent with similar offences in the past. We will continue to welcome Harry as a customer.”

The BHA are so stupid, this is ridiculous, there is bent races day in and day out that go completely unpunished. harry Findlay puts loads in to the game and owns so many horses, its a case of shooting yourself in the foot. Racing needs to take a look at itself.

DENMAN’S owner Harry Findlay has been charged by the BHA in connection with laying his own horse, Gullible Gordon, on two occasions, although the racing authority has made clear that bets to win on the horse each time “significantly outweighed the lay bets”.

Harry Findlay charged by BHA

The lay bets on Gullible Gordon relate to races at Exeter in October 2008 – when lay bets were placed on Betfair to the sum of around £17,638, when he was backed for £80,004, according to the BHA press release – and Chepstow in October 2009 (£32,033, backed for £64,000).

So Findlay was a net backer of the horse, presumably he was doing a bit of trading, on Betfair. I don’t see the problem, clearly there was no wrongdoing here, Findlay was a significant net backer of his horse and there is no suggestion that there was any intention to defraud punters. There is certainly no question over the trainer and jockey.

So what the hell is this all about? Headlines in my view! Day in day out questionable betting patterns can be observed, this is not ‘dodgy’ and his position as a net backer is clear and accepted by the BHA. A waste of time and if I was Harry I would reconsider my ownership in such volumes.