Verdict delayed in Johnson case

Advertisement

Johnson to "defend his name until dying day"

The British Horseracing Authority inquiry says its verdict on welfare and doping charges against trainer Howard Johnson will be delivered on 10 August.

A disciplinary panel finished hearing evidence on nine charges on Tuesday.

Johnson is charged with running Striking Article eight times after the horse had had a palmar neurectomy.

The operation involves severing or removal of leg nerves running to the foot and can leave the horse unaware of any possible pain.

He is also charged with administering steroids to three of his other horses.

A guilty verdict could lead to a lengthy ban for Johnson, who has held a trainer's licence since 1986.

WHAT IS A NEURECTOMY?

Continue reading the main story

• Nerve blocking below the knee
• Horses are barred from racing following such an operation because it means they feel no pain, causing a potential hazard to the animal and rider

But the County Durham trainer told BBC Sport he has done nothing wrong and would stand by that "until his dying day".

He added: "I have done nothing wrong at all but I am not the best man at reading the rules of racing.

"I admitted that the vet de-nerved the horse but I didn't know it was called a neurectomy. The horse was in pain with the state of his feet, and the corns. We relieved the pain of that horse to run eight times, and the horse won three races."

Johnson said the horse would not have pulled up on his final start [at Mussleburgh in February 2010] if he had no feeling in his foot.

Striking Article was put down after that race. It was discovered in the post-mortem that the neurectomy had taken place.

Johnson says he was not aware of the rules and did not know that a horse that had been de-nerved was banned from racing on welfare grounds, and because it could affect the safety of the jockey.

He also denies the charge of giving the steroid laurabolin to three horses, Whisky Magic, Mintaka Pass and Montoya's Son.

BBC Sports news correspondent Joe Wilson said: "Tuesday was a long day of deliberations in what has become a high-profile welfare case without precedent in British racing.

Analysis

Continue reading the main story

Howard Johnson's case seemed to be based on naivety, stating he did know it was against racing rules for a horse to run after undergoing a neurectomy, suggesting he did not even know what the term meant. The regulations make it clear that a horse musn't race after having the nerve in its lower leg removed as it risks the safety of both animal and rider

Joe Wilson BBC sports news correspondent

"Howard Johnson and his legal team left the hearing without comment when it finally finished. The trainer knows his fate, but officially we will not discover it until 10 August. Only then will the BHA's panel make clear their reasoning, explaining whether he was in breach of the rules, and indeed how heavily he will be punished. However the fact that the panel sat until 5pm might strongly suggest it was not a simple 'not guilty' verdict.

"In terms of punishment Johnson could face as much as a 10-year ban, if it's decided he was indeed in breach of the rules and guilty of 'wilful cruelty'. What's certain is that welfare groups will hang on every word of the disciplinary panel's explantions when they are finally revealed, and any perception of leniency will be scrutinised intensely"

Johnson's most notable wins have come in connection with owner Graham Wylie, most notably with Inglis Drever, winner of three World Hurdles at the Cheltenham Festival.

In April 2010, Johnson told how he and his wife Sue were robbed of �100,000 at gunpoint during a raid at their farm.

CNN golf news golf equipment news CNN World sports CNN hbo boxing CNN west indies cricket news