bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Former champion jockey Robbie Fradd will learn his fate today when a verdict is given in his race-fixing trial.

Deputy Judge Colin Mackintosh heard final submissions and is due to deliver his verdict in the District Court this afternoon.

In his final submission, defence counsel Kevin Egan criticised the Independent Commission Against Corruption for ignoring the opinions of five stipendiary stewards of the Jockey Club and bringing the case to the court.

Mr Egan said the prosecution had failed to provide any evidence about the link between the alleged false practice and the alleged gambling.

He also said Fradd had no criminal record and had never been charged with an offence in the 18 years he had been involved in horse racing.

The 37-year-old South African jockey denies one count of cheating at gambling. He is accused of having won money for himself or 'any other persons unascertained' connected to placing bets with the Hong Kong Jockey Club on the outcome of the race on the night of January 16.

The charge accuses him of having 'prevented his horse Winning Dragon from running to the best of its natural ability'. Fradd was arrested in February along with 20 others on suspicion of race-fixing.

A New Zealand racing expert, Gavin John Whiterod, had earlier told the court that Fradd had failed to take advantage of the opportunity 'to move the horse forward to the gap behind the leading horse', adding that the horse should have been able to grab second place.

The court heard the horse began as an even-money favourite to win the North Island Handicap.

However, the Jockey Club's five stipendiary stewards, including the chief steward, John Matthew Schreck, had testified that they believed Fradd's riding on that night was 'legitimate' and believed that the rider was 'merely settling the horse'.

A Jockey Club spokesman yesterday refused to comment on whether Fradd could continue riding in Hong Kong if he was convicted of the charge.

The spokesman said Fradd's riding licence with the Jockey Club had expired on June 30 this year. Since then, Fradd had not been allowed to ride in Hong Kong, although he was allowed to leave the territory to return to his native South Africa to take part in races.



Verdict today for former champion jockey on trial for race-fixing