A 42-year-old man has been arrested by Greater Manchester Police after an investigation into alleged ‘race fixing’ within UK horse racing.
The probe, handled jointly by the police and the UK Gambling Commission, was launched earlier this year after a series of suspicious betting patterns were identified.
Further details are, at the time of writing, thin on the ground, although it’s known that the Bury native has been accused of breaching Section 42 of the UK Gambling Act – that relates to ‘cheating’ at sports betting.
Cheats Never Prosper
Section 42 of the UK’s gambling legislation decrees that it is a criminal offence to ‘cheat at gambling’, or to do anything that enables somebody else to cheat at gambling.
“Cheating at gambling may, in particular, consist of actual or attempted deception or interference in connection with the process by which gambling is conducted, or a real or virtual game, race or other event or process to which gambling relates,” the statute reads.
If the individual in question is charged and latterly found guilty of breaching Section 42, he could be fined, imprisoned for a term of up to two years or both.
At the time of writing, the Gambling Commission has refused to comment further, while Greater Manchester Police have only commented on the details of the arrest.
It continues a troubled period for UK horse racing, with the sport effectively downing tools and going on strike on September 10 in protest over proposed gambling tax hikes, which would see racing particularly hard hit.
And earlier this month, a conditional jockey admitted to preventing his horse from winning a race at Worcester back in 2023 after allegedly receiving a threat from the father-in-law of a current Premier League footballer.
Dylan Kitts has admitted to ‘stopping’ Hillsin from winning at Worcester in July 2023 due to a perceived “threat” from John Higgins.
The BHA disciplinary hearing continues. pic.twitter.com/xbBKhjXnlT
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) September 8, 2025
Dylan Kitts, who has since quit the sport, was allegedly told to ‘break his own neck’ if that was what was needed to prevent Hillsin from winning the handicap race in July 2023.
A BHA investigation, currently being heard, accuses Kitts, Hillsin’s trainer Chris Honour and John Higgins – the father-in-law of Burnley FC striker Ashley Barnes – of ‘committing and conspiring to commit a corrupt or fraudulent practice’, which in this case was preventing the horse from achieving the best possible finish.
According to the evidence gathered, Kitts admitted to the charge of only giving a ‘token effort’ as the race entered its final furlong – later claiming that he had received a threat from Higgins demanding a ‘stopping ride’.
For a sport that has been rocked by integrity scandals over the past decade, it’s another dark chapter – and further ammunition for those who believe that UK horse racing is victim to a series of low-key race fixing scams.
Integrity Issues
It was as recently as August that a professional jockey, who has retained their right to anonymity, was told that they are under investigation by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA).
Although the BHA has been keen to keep their inquiries under wraps, it has since been revealed that the jockey in question – who hasn’t ridden for several months – resides in the north of England, most commonly racing at northern tracks.
The probe centres around claims that the rider allegedly stopped their horses from running to their full potential. They have been forced to hand over all of their electronic communications devices as evidence, and have been stood down from racing by the BHA.
According to reports, another unnamed jockey and a licensed trainer have also been involved in the investigation.
Earlier in the summer, Greig Fairley returned to the saddle for the first time in more than a decade after being banned for race fixing back in 2011.
The Scot, a Group 1 winner who amassed nearly £3 million in career prize money, became embroiled in what was coined as racing’s worst integrity scandal in history, with more jockeys banned and two trainers, who had bet on their own horses to lose, barred from having a training licence again.
Fairley was banned for 12 years for his part in the scam, which saw him prevent his horses from attaining their best possible finish with a ‘stopping’ ride.
And in January 2023, Danny Brock was disqualified from racing for 15 years after it was found that he had prevented Mochalov from winning two races – with co-conspirators laying the horse via the Betfair Exchange.
Brock also played his part in ensuring that his mount, Samovar, lost a two-horse race by facilitating a poor start to the race… a defeat that saw the masterminds of the betting conspiracy win £100,000.