MARTIN PIPE was effectively found guilty of cheating the racing public yesterday. The first high-profile Jockey Club inquiry open to the media took a sensational turn when the multiple champion jumps trainer and his jockey, Jamie Moore, were found in breach of rules governing horses not run on their merits — in essence, non-triers.
The fact that the horse concerned is Celtic Son, whose four subsequent wins have made him a leading fancy for a novice hurdle at Cheltenham, enhanced the piquancy of the occasion. Along with a 21-day ban for Moore (February 22 - March 14) and a £3,000 fine for Pipe, Celtic Son is suspended from the racecourse for 40 days, ruling him out of the Festival. An appeal was being considered last