THE day was March 29, 1982 and a little-known horse called Flockton Grey would cause the betting scandal of the century.
It came out out of nowhere to lap the field and win by a ridiculous 20 LENGTHS at Leicester Racecourse.
But suspicions were quickly aroused, with fines and jail sentences quickly imposed on Flockton Grey’s owner and trainer.
Here, we recall the incredible tale behind Flockton Grey and how one March day nearly 40 years ago caused the biggest stink in racing betting history.
Trainer Stephen Wiles was desperate for a win, failing to produce a single victor from his stables in two years.
And it appears he would go to any lengths necessary to get that victory, too.
In March 1982, Wiles and owner Ken Richardson would enter two-year-old gelding Flockton Grey to the field for a race at Leicester Racecourse.
Coming from an unsuccessful yard, the horse was quickly priced up as a 10/1 longshot.
Miraculously, Flockton Grey would storm to victory, lapping the field to win by a simply astounding 20 lengths.
Astonished, bookies immediately decided not to pay out on the win, pending an investigation.
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And what did that investigation find? Well, the winning horse wasn’t Flockton Grey at all.
Instead, Richardson and Wiles had entered THREE-year-old horse Good Hand, who had a massive size advantage over the rest of the field.
Not only that, the pair had bet £20,000 – spread across a number of different bookies in a bid to avoid arousing suspicion – on Flockton Grey to win, knowing full well it would barring an act of god.
On investigating the win, the course vet noted the winning horse had a noticeable scar on its leg.
Flockton Grey – the real Flockton Grey – did not.
Not only that, they noted the winning horse’s teeth – seen in the official race photograph – were far too developed for a two-year-old.
Blood tests confirmed what race officials already believed: The winning Flockton Grey was a fraud.
Two years later, Richardson was fined £20,000 – as well as being forced to pay £25,000 in legal costs for conspiracy to defraud.
Richardson was hit with a nine-month suspended jail sentence, too.
Not only that, he was banned by the Jockey Club for 25 years – with Wiles receiving a similar punishment.
The jockey of ‘Flockton Grey’ for the now-infamous race, Kevin Darley, got off scot-free, though.
Officials concluded there was no way Darley could possibly have known, simply because he won by too great a distance.
They suggested had Darley known, he would have eased off the reins and won by a much smaller margin so that no suspicions were aroused.
Richardson, meanwhile, turned his back on racing and swaggered into the world of football.
He resurfaced as chairman of Bridlington Town, while also becoming a benefactor of Doncaster Rovers.
Fans from both clubs would go on to accuse him of gross financial mismanagement, with Bridlington even going bankrupt during his time at the club.
Richardson’s spell at Doncaster only ended when he was sent to prison for four years – and fined £75,000.
He was charged with attempted arson after his involvement in hiring three people to try to burn down the club’s stadium for the insurance money.
But what about Flockton Grey – the real Flockton Grey – you ask?
The gelding never raced. Not even when he ‘won’.
In fact, Flockton Grey remained in ‘police custody’ until 1986 before being sent to Mary Dick’s stable..
There, the horse lived until the age of 28, with Dick calling her a ‘gem’ and her ‘favourite horse’.
Flockton Grey died in 2008 – 26 years on from the most-infamous betting scandal in racing history.
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