Champion jumps trainer Martin Pipe and leading on-course bookmaker Barry Dennis are among five people summoned to appear at Portman Square today as part of an investigation into alleged instances of multiple claims.
Along with Pipe and Dennis, Alan Timms who worked as Dennis' clerk, and Pipe's travelling head lads, Craig Wylie and Eamon Leigh, will also be appearing before the disciplinary committee of the Jockey Club.
The enquiry concerns three horses that were claimed to race for Pipe's stable, Newscaster, a winner at Sandown on August 20 1999 and Duello and Port Meadow, the winner and runner-up at Leicester on October 12 1999. In all, four claims were made for Newscaster after his success.
One came from a representative of Pipe and another was a friendly claim from Newcaster's train Paul Cole. A third claim came from Dennis, a business associate of Pipe's leading owner David Johnson and a fourth, which proved ultimately successful, from his clerk, Alan Timms.
But Timms was never registered as the owner and when the horse next made it to the racecourse, finishing last of the four runners to complete in a Hereford novice hurdle, he was running for the partnership of Gerry Scanlon and Miss J Kirk.
The committee will establish whether or not the quintet committed breaches of rule 97 (vii) (a) which states: 'It shall be an offence for any person to submit or be party to more than one claim per horse and for any person who makes a claim to procure any other claim to be submitted for that horse.'
All three horses are believed to still be in training with Pipe.
