Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer Dan Skelton fears having licence suspended over High Court case
Dan Skelton should have had his license suspended for a considerable period but the BHA collude to hide the full extent of his offences.
Dan Skelton : Goforthecraic.
Since the first request to the BHA to investigate the Goforthecraic sale we have discovered that a 45% vendor share of the horse remains unaccounted for and that Dan Skelton was a client of the horse’s previous trainer & part vendor, Sam Allwood.
George Gently.
Insurance declaration of Health.
1) Question 1 answer, Resident at the yard for 7 months, NOT the 15 1/2 months charged on the Jam House Bloodstock Invoice.
2) Question 6, During the last 24 months has the horse suffered from any accident or lameness? Answer NO!
@OwnersforOwners
The BHA pays only lip service to integrity. The Felice report was leaked before official publication because someone feared that it would be dumbed down before its release. Felice’s key recommendations now gather dust, nothing has changed!
George Gently,
1) On the day of the injury scan Dan Skelton texts to say ‘George well and on track’. Six vets including the attending vets states the injury was already aged.
2) Six days after the scan Dan Skelton finally discloses the injury ‘caught it at first sight’.
Dan Skelton : George Gently.
BHA letter dated January 2019.
The promised interview has never taken place. Initially Justin Felice believed he would complete the investigation but after he reported back supportively the investigation was assigned to Nathan Taylor.
Dan Skelton : George Gently.
Bloodstock Review.
Justin Felice recommends the BHA should have responsibility for prosecution & enforcement.
The BHA is NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE & should not be given this function.
The BHA are conflicted between promotion of the sport and enforcement
George Gently. Dan Skelton texts.
1) ‘Whilst it’s NOTHING I don’t want to vet him today’.
2) Appointment of vet, ‘Paolo, He’s with Summerhill Practice. Very good’.
George Gently. Retro fitted and fabricated Jam House Bloodstock (racehorse ownership company) invoice with the motive of falsely disguising sales proceeds as training fees.
Dan Skelton : George Gently.
Initial rejection of the syndicate’s complaint by the BHA, later retracted.
The applicable rule does not say that secret profit and care & skill need to be conjunctive. The BHA’s interpretation defied plain English, past precedents and common sense.
Dan Skelton : George Gently.
The BHA sheltered behind a closed doors plea bargaining and judgement. They cannot persistently claim confidentiality. In the public interest a regulator must be transparent and subject to open scrutiny.
Dan Skelton : George Gently.
The BHA continues to refuse to answer questions regarding the George Gently fast-track adjudication despite asserting that the process would allow ‘proper scrutiny’.
Nil response to my demand to further investigate the sales of Goforthecraic & Fadas.
George Gently.
Dan Skelton suggests putting George Gently in a field for two weeks to cure three weeks of persistent and inexplicable lameness.
The next morning he presents the horse to his vet for the pre purchase examination. The vet was unaware of the prior lameness.
The BHA needs a soul searching self examination at the highest level. The way the organisation deals with dishonest professionals is in itself dishonest. The behaviour is not in the long term interests of the sport and perpetuates endemic dishonesty in bloodstock sales.
@OwnersforOwners
The George Gently dispute is over but the BHA judgement was a blatant whitewash. We want the truth to be fully aired in the public domain and expose the at best ‘incompetence’ of the BHA.
We would still like the BHA to investigate the suspect sales of both Goforthecraic and Fadas
DAN SKELTON : George Gently : Goforthecraic & Fadas sales transparency.
A SINGLE HORSE OFFENCE OR A SERIAL OFFENDER?
THE BHA REFUSE TO INVESTIGATE!
The BHA are conflicted between promoting the image of the sport and regulating endemic dishonesty in bloodstock sales.
Dan Skelton : George Gently.
The ROA offered limited assistance in my syndicate’s interaction with the BHA over the George Gently complaint.
Charlie’s Parker & Liverton were kept regularly informed but like the rest of Racing’s Establishment kept their heads below the parapet.
Dan Skelton : George Gently : Hidden Ownership.
Dan Skelton had a 1/3rd hidden ownership in George Gently as disclosed by D Futter.
Dan Skelton took a 15% share in Fadas to encourage us to buy the horse. He unsuccessfully attempted to hide his ownership in this horse.
Dan Skelton : George Gently.
Skelton initially indicated that the training fee charge was in respect of GG & 2 other horses.
When the retro fitted and fabricated invoice was disclosed it listed GG & 5 other horses.
Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!
Dan Skelton : George Gently.
‘Where it is in the interests of horse racing to do so’. That a leading trainer should be caught red handed as Dan Skelton may not be in the short term good for the image of horse racing but it might be the catalyst for a long overdue reform,
BHA statement regarding the George Gently case | British Horseracing Authority.
Personal stress on Dan Skelton for lying to the BHA and the complainant! Poor Dan, how unfair.
George Gently, Goforthecraic & Fadas. I have been informed of two other cases of alleged Skelton Skulduggery. I doubt if we are the only ones. The basic business model of the yard to finance vaulting ambition? The alleged Cue Card saga is yet another possible indicator.
Sarah Crowther in her judgement sidesteps opining on whether the payment to Dan Skelton’s racehorse ownership company is ownership sales proceeds or training fees. This omission is despite that hidden ownership is in itself an offence under the Rules of Racing.
Dan Skelton : George Gently.
Any denial of hidden ownership is blown apart by the text ‘Dave has apologised’, by the numerous discrepancies in the Jam House invoice & finally by the retro fitting and fabrication of the original invoice deleting the words ‘33.33% purchase of GG.
Dan Skelton : George Gently.
Initial BHA rejection of the George Gently complaint. Later retracted after QC interpretation on conjunctive rule. BHA resistance and disregard of evidence still continued to persisted.
@homework_jean
@RacingPost
I hope the George Gently case is a Panorama moment for the Bloodstock sales market and makes a small contribution to encourage long overdue reform needed to suppress endemic dishonest sales malpractice. The BHA encourages rather than punishes the corruption in the sales market.
George Gently. BEVA & RCVS protocols and response of the RCVS to complaint regarding the PPE. The RCVS will not respond to any complaint after a two year time lapse unless it involves dishonesty!
All failures & omissions benefitted the vendor and prejudiced the purchaser.
George Gently : Dan Skelton.
The BHA adjudication is a blatant whitewash giving a message to every dishonest racing professional that they can act with impunity when dealing with recreational racehorse owners. It also informs owners that the BHA offers them zero protection.
George Gently, Dan Skelton. Have the BHA included Goforthecraic and Fadas in the judgement plea bargaining and given Dan Skelton immunity from any further investigation &/or censure? No substantive reason given by the BHA for their refusal to investigate these cases further!
@LydiaHislop
@OwnersforOwners
That is the full syndicate public statement. There are two others, one shorter, disputing Skelton’s denial of ownership and a second with a more detailed account of the George Gently case. I can forward the other two if you send me your email address.
@ClaireDunkley4
@WeaverRacing
@Nick_James66
@rosscojmill
A vet must get express written permission in advance for a two stage only PPE and explain the inadequacies of this limited examination. The PPE certificate says stages 3 to 5 were omitted at the request of the buyer & vendor. As the buyer I was not asked for such permission!
Dan Skelton : George Gently, Goforthecraic & Fadas.
CODE OF PRACTICE.
THE BHA REFUSES TO ENFORCE THE HIGH STANDARD OF INTEGRITY AND TRANSPARENCY ESPOUSED IN THE CODE OF PRACTICE.
THE BHA COLLUDES BY ITS INACTION TO HIDE THE GOFORTHECRAIC AND FADAS MONEY TRAILS.
@OwnersforOwners
@BHAHorseracing
The BHA are conflicted between their dual role of promoting the image of horse racing & regulation of the unsavoury aspects of the industry.
No censures under the Agents Code of Practice in twenty years tells you everything you need to know about the BHA as regulator.
@jcb17251973
@philEvansMajor
@MrTimeform
@Greg_Wood_
Ignoring the facts emphasises the BHA are operating with bad faith.
Ignoring Skelton’s Agency in the purchase of George G despite selecting, appointing & instructing the PPE Vet.
Ignoring Skelton’s ownership of G G despite Futter’s disclosure and blatant invoice fabrication.
@OwnersforOwners
@BHAHorseracing
@RacingPost
I would welcome an independent review of the handling of the case by the BHA. The consistent policy of the BHA has been to sweep bloodstock sales complaints under the carpet, thus not a single censure against the Agents Code of Practice in twenty years. Change is long overdue!
@MyTentOrGeorge
It is well understood that a code of ‘Omerta’ rules British horse racing and deeply penetrates even the media! Individuals are frightened to put their head above the parapet and speak out against endemic dishonesty. The priority is image protection rather than long term reform.
@jcb17251973
@philEvansMajor
@MrTimeform
@Greg_Wood_
The failed attempt to interpret the rules to state that the offence of secret profit must be conjunctive with a lack of care and skill was obviously wrong and was the first significant indicator of bad faith.
Dan Skelton : George Gently.
Dan Skelton disputed he had recommended the £130,000 George Gently purchase price. The Panel Judgement does not dispute this.
The Panel ignores that Dan Skelton was conflicted when he instructed a substandard PPE & without tendon scans.
@WeaverRacing
@Nick_James66
@rosscojmill
At the time of George Gently’s PPE, 10/16, Paolo Guasco gave his notice to Summerhill Equine vets. He incorporated a new business, 04/17, which began trading in 07/17. Dan Skelton then transferred his business from Summerhill to Guasco & Associates. Was Guasco conflicted?
Dan Skelton : George Gently.
BHA COMPLAINT TIMELINE.
FIVE YEARS & EIGHT MONTHS FOR THE BHA TO ARRIVE AT A FLAWED ‘FAST TRACK’ JUDGEMENT VIA AN UNSATISFACTORY BEHIND CLOSED DOOR PLEA BARGAINING AND HEARING.
THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS THE BHA HAVE RESISTED THE COMPLAINT.
Fadas. Bloodstock Agent Richard Venn refuses money trail transparency. The Federation of Bloodstock Agents accept a belated excuse that he acted for the vendor despite no evidence of disclosure and consent from us as the buyer.
Most of the arguments initially presented by the BHA against the George Gently complaint have ultimately been conceded. Despite this the BHA have still contrived to avoid censuring Dan Skelton for obvious contraventions of the Rules of Racing.
@homework_jean
The DS text message stating ‘Dave has apologised’ & ‘ours is a trusting relationship’ was sent on the same day D Futter inadvertently disclosed DS’s 1/3rd ownership of GG. The retro fitted and original Jam House Bloodstock invoices, disclosed much later, evidence a 1/3rd payment.
Still no response to the demand to the BHA to investigate the money trails arising out of the Goforthecraic and Fadas sales. Is Dan Skelton a serial offender? Where is the integrity and transparency espoused by the BHA?
@ClaireDunkley4
@WeaverRacing
@Nick_James66
@rosscojmill
It is undisputed that George Gently was lame for three weeks immediately up to the day before the Pre Purchase Examination (PPE). There was a failed PPE two weeks earlier. There is no reference to the lameness on the PPE certificate, no tendon scans & a two stage only examination
@steeplechasing
@rosscojmill
Cynical text quote from Dan Skelton when Futter made his inadvertent ownership disclosure ‘ours is a trusting relationship’. We gave Dan Skelton his first Cheltenham Festival winner, he did not source the horse. Trust can always be abused, we are all vulnerable to a betrayal!
@steeplechasing
@rosscojmill
The industry has a Regulator and the Rules of Racing to protect Owners and buyers from the bad practices prevalent in bloodstock sales.
Unfortunately the Regulator tolerates the malpractice and refuses to enforce the rules. The BHA effectively condones endemic dishonesty.
Dan Skelton denies knowing Sam Allwood despite being named as a client of the Allwood yard in its October 2016 newsletter. Goforthecraic was resident at the yard in the winter of 2016 and Spring of 2017.
SC fails to opine on training fees v hidden ownership but her conclusion illogically refers to training fees. She states DS was not our Agent without examining the NTF training agreement or analysing DS’s control of the PPE. DS did not just assist the examination, he dictated it.
Dan Skelton : George Gently.
To verify the date of injury to GG we asked DS for the relevant training records.If the tendon injury was present from purchase he would have continued box rest. DS asserted that because we were no longer a client our records had been destroyed!
Cheltenham 2016 results: Superb Story writes history to give Skelton brothers their maiden Festival win | The Independent.
Dan Skelton says thank you to the Superb Story syndicate by recommending George Gently! He was not involved in the purchase of SS.
Dan Skelton : George Gently.
The secret payment by David Futter to Jam House was exactly 1/3rd of the net sale proceeds of G G.
Dan Skelton initially said the invoice was for ALL training fees for the six horses. He then changed this to ONLY charging up to 1/3rd of the sale sum.
Dan Skelton : George Gently.
A BHA fast track adjudication is intended to deal with minor offences.
The charges against DS in respect of the GG case, whilst not comprehensive, were serious as admitted by the BHA.
A fast track adjudication was utilised only to circumvent justice.
George Gently.
Miraculous overnight recovery after three weeks of persistent lameness. No explanation of the sub standard two stage pre purchase examination or absence of tendon scans.
@WeaverRacing
If not for the media and discovery of the retro fitted / fabricated invoice during the legal process the complaint to the BHA would have come to nought!
Only evidence that George Gently’sprior purchase lameness was caused by a shoulder knock is Dan Skelton’s assertion. Dan Skelton supposedly failed to consult a vet despite three weeks of unsoundness & did not instruct tendon scans. He did not disclose the lameness to the PPE vet.
‘Ignoring conclusive evidence that favours the latter’ ie recreational racehorse owners.
There are many racing professionals who are honest and trustworthy but not insignificant numbers who are completely dishonest and protected from exposure / censure by the BHA.
@WeaverRacing
Other than a very supportive interview with Justin Felice in October 2018 the BHA have been hostile to my syndicate’s complaint. The initial rejection deliberately misconstrued the rules and defied common sense. Six years to this point says everything about the BHA.
George Gently, Goforthecraic & Fadas.
The BHA buried the Felice Review & attempted to bury the complaints against Dan Skelton. Because the case involves a leading trainer, potentially multiple horses & racing professionals, it could still become the predicted ‘Panorama moment’.
At every turn the equine professional &/or regulatory bodies favour racing professionals at the expense of recreational racehorse owners, often ignoring conclusive evidence in favour of the latter. Racing’s hierarchy is devoid of integrity.
Dan Skelton was not only conflicted but a hidden 1/3rd owner of George Gently. Despite this he still oversaw and instructed the Pre Purchase Veterinary Examination including, without buyer consultation, selecting and appointing his regular vet.
@homework_jean
In retrospect it has all the characteristics of a front to hide another secret ownership. Transparency of the money trail out of Ian Popham’s bank account should prove either innocence or guilt! The BHA can resolve this.