HUGE BETTING SWINDLE

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27427, 13 August 1954, Page 8

HUGE BETTING SWINDLE

TWO HORSES SOLD AT AUCTION COLTS SOLD TO MEET FEED BILLS (From the London Correspondent oj “The Press”) LONDON, July 26. Two of the most famous racehorses in Britain were sold by auction at Epsom yesterday to pay for their feeding bills. Although neither had won a race worth more than a few hundred pounds, the two horses, Francasal and Santa Amaro, will go down in racing history as the horses that nearly brought off the biggest “ring-in” swindle on the English turf. They were the horses used in the Bath “ringer” case in July last year when Santa Amaro, running as Francasal, won a selling plate race at odds of 10 to 1. A syndicate of four gamblers stood to win more than £60,000 in a betting coup on the “switched” horses but their plot was uncovered after a hedge cutter on the racecourse had reported seeing a man cut a telephone line used by bookmakers on the racecourse to lay off their bets with outside bookmakers. The plotters were later found guilty of conspiring to defraud the racecourse company and sentenced to imprisonment. For eight months until the trial was concluded, the two bay colts were under police guard day and night at their stables. From sleek trained racehorses, they grew into fat contented hacks. Although they were exercised they have never been saddled or galloped since thev were first seized by the police when the swindle was discovered. Bidding for Francasal which was bought in France as a two-year old for £BOO started at 100 guineas and the horse was eventually knocked down to Major D. M. Methuen of the Cavalry Club for 160 guineas. Santa Amaro which cost £2OOO as a two-year old and which the catalogue described as having “won at Bath in the name of Francasal in his first and only appearance on a racecourse,” was bought by Mr. F. E. Bligh, of Gerrard’s Cross, for 400 guineas. The Epsom sale brought small comfort to the creditors of Mr Maurice Williams, a professional punter who owns the horses and who is now serving a prison sentence for his part in the attempted betting coup. Although £5BB was realised, deductions have to be made for commission and expenses at the sale and for 12 months’ keep at five guineas for each horse a week. One informed guess was that the creditors would receive approximately a penny in the pound. As both horses have been barred from ever racing again by the Jockey Club, they will probably be used for hunting or in the show ring. Experts consider that Santa Amaro, a good galloper, may retrieve his good name and turn out to be a champion at horse shows. -