, trainer fined

Middleham trainer Ferdy Murphy has been fined £4,000 for bringing racing into disrepute.

Murphy faced the Disciplinary Committee of the Jockey Club earlier this week following remarks he made on the BBC expose programme, Kenyon Confronts in June.

He was secretly filmed claiming £1,600 had been made on Christiansted’s defeat at Fakenham in February, having laid his horse on the betting exchanges.

Murphy was also filmed telling reporter Paul Kenyon, who was posing as a potential owner, that a horse could be stopped at home by having it only 75% to 80% fit before a race.

Murphy emerged from the inquiry to say that he was “very disappointed” by the level of the fine. The BBC’s Paul Woolwich, executive producer of Kenyon Confronts, claimed “complete vindication for the investigation”.

Charges against trainers Jamie Osborne and David Wintle, both of whom were also involved in the television programme, are expected to be heard in the New Year.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now