Beadman takes legal action over 'offensive' ad campaign

An advertisement placed by the New South Wales betting agency, TAB Ltd, aimed at whipping up opposition to betting exchanges, has created all the heat anticipated. Except the agency has ended up on the receiving end.

Top Australian jockey Darren Beadman, well known to Hong Kong punters, has launched legal proceedings, claiming the TAB organisation had defamed him in a newspaper advertisement, part of a campaign aimed at getting British betting exchange Betfair banned in Australia.

The advertisements, placed in several national papers, featured a photo of Beadman on board the champion Lonhro and an accompanying question, in relation to betting exchanges, which Beadman objected to as defamatory. The adverts appeared two days after Lonhro was beaten on his final outing in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick last month, at odds of 1-5.

Beadman said: 'I have taken legal advice and have commenced proceedings against the NSW TAB. I do not wish to say any more at this point.' The jockey, remembered here for his win in the 1997 Hong Kong Bowl on Catalan Opening, said he had been unaware his name would be used in the ad campaign.

At the time, Betfair called the advertisement 'as inaccurate as it is offensive'. A subsequent TAB advert was no less controversial, including the inflammatory line: 'UK exports race-fixing to Australia?'

The Kentucky Derby was almost a red-letter day for another former Hong Kong racing star, French trainer Patrick Biancone.

While 140,054 fans were on their feet cheering during the stretch run of the 130th Kentucky Derby, Biancone admitted he was all too calm as he watched his colt, Lion Heart, being reeled in by Smarty Jones on a rain-soaked May afternoon. Lion Heart ran second, but defeated the others just as easily as Smarty Jones trounced him.