John Wainwright cleared following BHA inquiry into Southwell race

Trainer John Wainwright has been cleared by the British Horseracing Authority disciplinary panel following an inquiry relating to the running and riding of a horse at Southwell in June 2014.

North Yorkshire-based Wainwright and John Wright, were among five people to have faced charges over the performance of Blazeofenchantment, who finished a distant seventh in a seven-furlong handicap at the Nottinghamshire venue over three years ago.

The panel came to the conclusion that the charges against Wainwright and Wright of conspiring with former jockey Adam Carter to stop the horse running on its merits and giving instructions that would stop the horse achieving the best possible placing were "not proved to the standard required".

The panel branded Carter "an unreliable witness, prone to invent things when pressed on all sorts of matters" and judged that neither Wainwright nor Wright had conspired with each other or with Carter to commit a corrupt practice and nor did the trainer give instructions that would lead the jockey not to ride the horse on its merits.

Carter was found guilty of passing information to a registered stable employee, Paul Bradley, and Peter Bennett, a non-registered/licensed person, about his intention to ride Blazeofenchantment otherwise than on its merits and of passing inside information to Bradley, and through him to Bennett.

Bradley was found guilty of receiving information from Carter about his intention for the horse not to run on its merits, which he passed to Bennett for betting purposes.

Bennett was deemed to be in in breach by receiving information about Carter's intention for the horse not run on its merits and then using it to his advantage in the betting market.

The penalties to be imposed for the breaches that have been found will be dealt with at a future hearing or following written submissions.