Dylan Kitts, 24, issued a full and frank apology as he outlined what had happened in the lead-up to Hillsin running at Worcester in July 2023, as he gave evidence at the BHA inquiry
A jockey who deliberately stopped a horse from winning a race said, “I made one of the worst decisions of my life” when he gave evidence at a BHA inquiry on Tuesday.
Dylan Kitts, 24, spoke for the first time about the controversial ride he gave when Hillsin finished third in a conditional jockeys handicap hurdle at Worcester in July 2023. Kitts had admitted when interviewed by BHA investigators to giving Hillsin a ‘stopping ride’ but claimed he had done so after receiving “a threat” from John Higgins, the father-in-law of Burnley footballer Ashley Barnes.
The jockey plus Chris Honour, the trainer of Hillsin, and Higgins, 79, have been charged with committing and conspiring to commit a corrupt or fraudulent practice by “agreeing to stop” Hillsin from achieving the best possible position.
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Honour denies the charges while Higgins is taking no part due to medical issues. Barnes was issued with an exclusion order by the BHA last year for failing to cooperate with the investigation but has not been charged.
On day two of a BHA independent disciplinary hearing, Kitts opened his evidence with an apology.
“I want to firstly begin by reflecting and apologising to the public and the sport who have been impacted by events at Worcester,” he said. “I appreciate that I have not always been fully approachable during the investigation and perhaps misleading in interviews at times.
“I was, and in some respects still am, a young impressionable, 7lb claimer just starting in my career when these events happened.
“The last two years have been life-changing for me, massively overwhelming and overall a very sad period of my life. To be completely honest I donn’t know how best to handle the situation.”
Kitts went on to explain he came from a small town in West Wales and left home aged 16 to pursue a career in racing.
He went on: “I take full responsibility for stopping Hillsin winning at Worcester but also would like to stress I did not act alone. I know what I did that day was wrong and I understand that I neglected my role as a jockey although I felt the consequences were too much of a risk to take.
“I had a split second to make a decision and unfortunately I made the wrong one for my career. I believe all parties including myself have guilt on their side and there are no innocent people here.”
He said: “I am here not to try and prove any innocence on my behalf, more to admit to my wrongdoing and assist in the correct punishment and sanctions towards myself and others involved in the wrongdoing.”
Kitts, who worked for Lambourn trainer Warren Greatrex, said his career was just taking off when “everything started to go wrong”.
He said he got to know Higgins, who he never met, when he first rode Hillsin at Exeter in April 2023. He was told Higgins was involved in the horse, although not the main owner.
Higgins began to call him regularly to talk about races but rang him frequently on the day Hillsin was running in the July race at Worcester. He said he got another call just after changing into his riding gear when Higgins told him to stop the horse.
Cross-examined by BHA barrister Louis Weston, Kitts said the precise words were, “Under no circumstances is that horse to f****** win. I don’t care how you do so, break your neck. I don’t care what happens”.
“He told me. ‘It would be easy’. The horse had either had ‘a two or three mile gallop this morning. He’ll be flat’.”
“I found that very intimidating that I was to do it no matter what,” he said.
He met Honour for the first time when he handed over the saddle to the trainer. He alleged: “Mr Honour confirmed, ‘Have you had your instructions? I’m not sure why they want to do this but that’s up to them’.”
Once the race started Kitts said: “I made quite possibly one of the worst decisions of my life, which was to follow my instructions and make sure Hillsin didn’t win.”
Kitts said he “panicked” after the race when a stewards inquiry was called. “I spooled off the very poor excuse that the horse was hanging and made a noise in the hope it would cover my wrongdoings, completely the wrong thing to do,” he said.
He regretted not giving a full explanation of what had happened. “I knew I had got myself into a lot of trouble,” he said.
The hearing continues.