Since November 10, at least a dozen coaches have reported the abhorrent practice. The most famous name is that of Nicky Henderson, the six-time champion trainer who groomed horses for Queen Elizabeth II and now does so for King Charles III. Other possible victims also included other famous coaches such as Gary Moore, Charlie Fellows and Richard Fahey.
The National Trainers’ Federation (NTF) is speaking out about criminal behavior and has successfully requested an investigation from Essex Police. Some coaches were able to record conversations.
For example, Moore was told that the next time he was on the race track, he would be tapped on the shoulder, followed by an acid attack. “Someone called me into my office and said it was the acid man. My secretary was told, ‘Gary better watch out next time.’ Because then he would find me and throw sulfuric acid in my face. Many coaches have already received such a call.
Fellows was recently threatened after putting the phone on speaker in front of his wife and three-year-old son. “This isn’t the first time I’ve received threats, but they usually come from gamblers who feel cheated because their favorite horse didn’t win. I’ve heard terrible things: that I’m a pedophile, or that they wish my horses would die. Sick. But this was different, different.” Expected because I didn’t have a horse that day.The caller’s tone was very dark.
At the end of October, the NTF launched a campaign for coaches to report such forms of violations. In recent years, coaches have increasingly been threatened by phone, email or online message.
