Thoroughbred breeder Charlie Brooks accuses Sir Philip Davies of ‘insider trading’ and brands his appointment to the British Horseracing Authority board ‘incomprehensible’
Britain’s newest horseracing chief is an ex-MP who bet on himself to lose his seat. Sir Philip Davies, 54, has been appointed to the British Horseracing Authority board despite breaking one of the cardinal rules of the sport – ‘insider trading’, according to thoroughbred breeder Charlie Brooks.
At the 2024 General Election the Tory was defending a 6,242 majority in Shipley, West Yorks, but reportedly put on an £8,000 wager he would lose. He was beaten by Labour’s Anna Dixon who won with a majority of 8,603. But it apparently left Sir Philip laughing all the way to the bank.
He admitted backing himself to lose the 2005 General Election too – but won the poll and his cash ‘went down the pan’. Such wagers are not illegal.
But according to top breeder Charlie: “If trainers do that when one of their horses are running they are banned. In racing it is viewed as a form of insider trading but in politics it pales into insignificance.”
Sir Philip, whose wife is Tory MP for Tatton Esther McVey, 58, will represent the Racecourse Association on the board of the authority which is responsible for the ‘governance, administration and regulation’ of British horseracing.
Deploying a cricketing term Brooks claimed the former politician had been a ‘Second XI’ choice for the job. “There were also the occasions when the parliamentary standards committee found he had been a bit forgetful about declaring the amount of money bookmakers spent entertaining him,” Brooks said.
“But no matter, Sir Philip, or ‘Phil the bookies runner’, as he used to be known, was rushed to the crease. “Just when I thought the psychodrama of the British Horseracing Authority board could not get any more incomprehensible, it flipping well knocked it out of the park.”
In 2013 Davies was investigated by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards following a complaint he had not fully declared £10,000 in benefits he received from companies with links to the betting industry in the members’ register. The commissioner required Davies to apologise for breaching the parliamentary code after not declaring an interest during a debate which he said was an ‘oversight’.
Three years later he was cleared of wrongdoing over claims he’d had favourable treatment from a bookmaker who had lifted restrictions on his betting account.
Asked at the time about his 2024 poll gamble he said it was ‘nobody’s business’ – but admitted backing himself to lose the 2005 election when he lost his money. “What’s it got to do with you whether I did or didn’t,” he said. “I hope to win. I’m busting a gut to win. I expect to lose.
“In the 2005 election I busted a gut to win. I expected to lose. I had a bet on myself to lose in the 2005 election and my bet went down the pan. And if anyone’s alleging I’ve done anything illegal they’re very welcome to allege it, but I’m afraid I haven’t.”
The British Horseracing Authority declined to comment on the election betting but said Sir Philip, who is chairman of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain, had been nominated as a director by the Racecourse Association.
Authority chairman Simon Cox said he was ‘pleased’ to welcome him to the board. “Throughout his time in Parliament he was a strong advocate for racing and betting, helping to ensure the interests of our sport were understood by his fellow politicians, and I look forward to working with him,” he said.
Sir Philip said: “I am delighted to be joining the BHA Board to represent the interests of racecourses. Racing is a sport and industry for which I have long held a strong interest and I look forward to working with Board members and stakeholders across the sport to support its long-term success.”
The Racecourse Association and Sir Philip declined to comment further.
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