Ashburton horse trainer acquitted of conspiracy in a race

South Devon trainer Chris Honour is ‘delighted and mightily relieved’, but says he always knew that he was innocent after being cleared of conspiring to ‘stop’ a horse from winning a race two years ago.

An independent inquiry ruled that jockey Dylan Kitts and John Higgins, an associate of owner Alan Clegg, had conspired to prevent Hillsin from winning a handicap hurdle race at Worcester in July 2023.

Hillsin, which finished third, had just been placed with Honour, who had no previous connection with Kitts or Higgins, the father-in-law of Premier League footballers Ashley Barnes.

Clegg was not accused of any offence, but Higgins and Barnes refused to cooperate with the hearing and had been placed on the British Horseracing Authority’s exclusion list.

Kitts, who has also left the sport, claimed that he had been threatened by Higgins to prevent Hillsin from winning.

Honour, who trains near Ashburton, had immediately ordered the horse to be removed from his care after the Worcester run.

He was found guilty of misleading the stewards there, but the panel accepted that it was almost certainly an attempt in the heat of the moment to help a young jockey caught up in a difficult situation.

In a statement issued through his solicitor Daryl Cowan, Honour described himself as ‘delighted and mightily relieved’.

The statement added: “He always knew that he played no part in whatever went on, as did all who knew him in the world of racing and beyond.

“It’s been an extremely unpleasant and worrying time for him and his family.

“He looks forward to the conclusion of the case (a sanctions hearing in November) and to getting on with the rest of his life with his family and his horses.”

Former jockey Honour has built a reputation for making the most of limited resources at his small yard, recently celebrating an eighth career victory for ten-year-old Time To Bite, owned by the Chris Honour Racing Club.