Harry Findlay awaits appeal verdict

HARRY Findlay will have to wait until this morning to learn of his fate regarding the six-month warning off imposed by the British Horseracing Authority after a five-hour hearing before an independent appeal board panel in London yesterday.

The renowned owner and gambler received the punishment last month and is due to be out of the sport until 10 December after breaching the rules on the ability of an owner to lay his own horse.

He was found to have twice laid Gullible Gordon, who raced in a partnership of his mother Maggie Findlay and Paul Barber, in 2008 and 2009, although on both occasions he was a net backer of the horse.

Findlay appealed against the severity of the ban and was aided in the five-hour hearing by solicitor Daryl Cowan and a sports disciplinary specialist, barrister Roderick Moore.

Having arrived well before 8am ahead of the scheduled 9am start, Findlay left BHA headquarters just after 2pm, and said: "I have no comment to make and we will know more in the morning."

BHA PR manager Paul Struthers added: "We will release the panel's judgment through our normal channels tomorrow."