Colin Phillips
At the Start
This story in the Racing Post this morning seems to suggest that the HRA are waking up and smelling the coffee!! (sorry).
Next thing they will be doing is refusing Sir Mark's horses a handicap mark!
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Flood refused racing return
by Graham Green
.
DAVID FLOOD, the former Group-winning trainer who is halfway through a two-year disqualification, claims to have been left “heartbroken and mentally devastated” after being refused permission to work for his wife Cheryl, whose licence application is due to be heard on Friday.
Flood, warned off for two years over the doping of Mossmann Gorge at Newmarket in July 2005, was informed when his ban began last June that he could seek employment in racing after 12 months, but the couple's hopes that the 39-year-old could resume as assistant/head groom in the family's latest training venture have been dashed.
The Horseracing Regulatory Authority's disciplinary panel, faced with Flood's application, rejected it on the grounds the original decision allowing his early return to the sport ‘must have contemplated that he would do so with a licensed person who could exercise appropriate monitoring and supervision of Flood's work and behaviour, essentially to begin a process of rehabilitation. It is obvious that this will not be feasible with his wife as employer'.
Mrs Flood, 27, who is believed to meet all the qualifying criteria for the job, has applied to operate from Tedsmore Racing Stables at West Felton, near Oswestry, where she will be an employed trainer for Results Racing.
Her husband, who appeared on the fast track to success thanks to high-profile wins with Im Spartacus and Jonny Ebeneezer, says he has no wish to work for another trainer and intends registering as unemployed.
Flood said: “What I find so heartbreaking is the fact that they told me last June that I could work in racing after 12 months, and now they tell me I can only be a yardman, but not even in my wife's yard.
“To be found guilty of a non corruption-related offence where the only benefactor was the horse, and for me and my family to be put through so much is, at the very least, morally disgraceful.
“Because of the HRA's decision, I have now received by fax the termination of my employment with Results Racing, my job in their pre-training yard finishes this Friday.
“I feel heartbroken and mentally devastated. For the record I strenuously deny and have always denied what the HRA found me guilty of, and I feel the racing public should know that if I had admitted guilt, even in August 2005 when questioned by HRA security, this would have been all over now. But why should I admit to something I didn't do?”
HRA spokesman, Paul Struthers, said: “David Flood was declared a disqualified person for two years for deliberately administering a prohibited substance with the intention of affecting the performance of the horse and for the manner in which he deliberately misled the Jockey Club with constant changes to his story.
“With regard to his application to work for his wife, the disciplinary panel had concerns that the timing of Cheryl Flood's application to train, coinciding as it did with the date from which he could first apply to work in racing, and decided that it was just a vehicle to allow David Flood to work in racing again and in a role with far greater responsibility than the original order envisaged.
“The disciplinary panel never stated that Mr Flood would be guaranteed to be able to work after 12 months, but he is perfectly entitled to apply to work for another trainer, as he is well aware.”
Next thing they will be doing is refusing Sir Mark's horses a handicap mark!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Flood refused racing return
by Graham Green
.
DAVID FLOOD, the former Group-winning trainer who is halfway through a two-year disqualification, claims to have been left “heartbroken and mentally devastated” after being refused permission to work for his wife Cheryl, whose licence application is due to be heard on Friday.
Flood, warned off for two years over the doping of Mossmann Gorge at Newmarket in July 2005, was informed when his ban began last June that he could seek employment in racing after 12 months, but the couple's hopes that the 39-year-old could resume as assistant/head groom in the family's latest training venture have been dashed.
The Horseracing Regulatory Authority's disciplinary panel, faced with Flood's application, rejected it on the grounds the original decision allowing his early return to the sport ‘must have contemplated that he would do so with a licensed person who could exercise appropriate monitoring and supervision of Flood's work and behaviour, essentially to begin a process of rehabilitation. It is obvious that this will not be feasible with his wife as employer'.
Mrs Flood, 27, who is believed to meet all the qualifying criteria for the job, has applied to operate from Tedsmore Racing Stables at West Felton, near Oswestry, where she will be an employed trainer for Results Racing.
Her husband, who appeared on the fast track to success thanks to high-profile wins with Im Spartacus and Jonny Ebeneezer, says he has no wish to work for another trainer and intends registering as unemployed.
Flood said: “What I find so heartbreaking is the fact that they told me last June that I could work in racing after 12 months, and now they tell me I can only be a yardman, but not even in my wife's yard.
“To be found guilty of a non corruption-related offence where the only benefactor was the horse, and for me and my family to be put through so much is, at the very least, morally disgraceful.
“Because of the HRA's decision, I have now received by fax the termination of my employment with Results Racing, my job in their pre-training yard finishes this Friday.
“I feel heartbroken and mentally devastated. For the record I strenuously deny and have always denied what the HRA found me guilty of, and I feel the racing public should know that if I had admitted guilt, even in August 2005 when questioned by HRA security, this would have been all over now. But why should I admit to something I didn't do?”
HRA spokesman, Paul Struthers, said: “David Flood was declared a disqualified person for two years for deliberately administering a prohibited substance with the intention of affecting the performance of the horse and for the manner in which he deliberately misled the Jockey Club with constant changes to his story.
“With regard to his application to work for his wife, the disciplinary panel had concerns that the timing of Cheryl Flood's application to train, coinciding as it did with the date from which he could first apply to work in racing, and decided that it was just a vehicle to allow David Flood to work in racing again and in a role with far greater responsibility than the original order envisaged.
“The disciplinary panel never stated that Mr Flood would be guaranteed to be able to work after 12 months, but he is perfectly entitled to apply to work for another trainer, as he is well aware.”
