Evans staked £6,000 at 4-1 on Black Dave but lost his money when the horse, from his stable near Pandy in Monmouthshire, could finish only fourth. Evans had doomed himself when placing the bet by phone to Ladbrokes in January 2015. Evans’s bet, had it won, would have been settled at 3-1 because the eventual withdrawal of Tango Sky triggered a Rule 4 deduction of 25p in the pound from earlier bets. Evans was asked by a member of the panel about how often he was offered enhanced odds by a bookmaker. Another aspect of Ladbrokes’ behaviour that attracted interest was their decision to shorten Tango Sky from 7-2 to 3-1 just four minutes after Evans’s call, at which point their traders knew from the trainer that Tango Sky was to be a non-runner.

Source: The Guardian November 06, 2017 16:53 UTC