Lewes-based trainer found guilty of ordering jockey to stop horses

Jim Best, who trains at Grandstand Stables in Lewes, was accused of instructing jockey Paul John to deliberately stop two horses during races at Plumpton and Towcester last year.

John, a former conditional jockey, told the British Horseracing Authority that the trainer, his former employer, had told him to purposely stop horses on two occasions.

After the five-day hearing, Best was found in breach of rules concerning a trainer’s responsibility to run horses on their merits. His penalty will be announced at a later date but he could face a maximum penalty of a three-year ban from the sport.

Jockey John was found guilty of two charges of intentionally failing to ensure horses ran on their merits.

The two horses trained by Best at the time, whose running and riding led to the inquiry, were Missile Man at Towcester and Echo Brava when making his hurdling debut in a Plumpton novice race.

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1) Make our website your homepage at www.sussexexpress.co.uk/

2) Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Sussex-Express/

3) Follow us on Twitter @sussex_express

4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!

The Sussex Express - always the first with your local news.

Be part of it.