Southwell fined £4,000

The British Jockey Club issued its biggest-ever fine over medical breaches when RAM Racecourses, owner of Southwell racecourse, was fined £4,000 following a prolonged 14-hour inquiry which was completed late yesterday afternoon.

In addition Ashley Bealby, Southwell's clerk of the course, was fined £1,000 and RAM Racecourses was ordered to pay £2,000 in costs.

Richard Muddle, Southwell's owner, left the Jockey Club's offices in Portland Square before the extent of the fine was announced.

Bealby refused to comment on his punishment, though his fine is on a par with the £1,000 fine recently levied against the clerks of the courses at Warwick and Catterick for breaches of medical rules.

Of the eight charges that were breached, the first questioned why "a front line paramedic ambulance was not in attendance at the meeting on August 13th, 1996". And the second as to why "no NHSTD-trained paramedic was with the ambulances at the meeting on August 13th".

These two rules and the clerk of the course's failure to brief all medical staff and first aid staff as to the nature and location of their duties at the meetings on August 13th and September 9th, were the most important transgressions of the medical regulations.