Milton Harris has had his license stripped after accusations of dishonesty, bullying a fellow coach and behaving “inappropriately” with the youth squad.
A dossier containing harsh criticism of Harris, who lives in Wiltshire, led the British Horseracing Authority’s judging panel to conclude he was “unmanageable”. The 64-year-old, who breeds more than 50 horses at Sutton Veny in the Wylye valley near Warminster, has been repeatedly criticized for manipulative behavior in a lengthy summary.
“In light of our findings, the Racing Rules guidance and the circumstances of the case generally, we are of the view that MH is the only appropriate outcome. [Harris] “He is not a fit and proper person to hold a trainer’s licence, because he does not have the necessary personal qualities to do so,” writes Sarah Crowther KC in a panel led by Alison Royston and Kirsty Madden.
Evidence was heard in private, but among the 11 findings against Harris was that she “acted in an inappropriate manner designed to exercise inappropriate control and power over the personal and private lives of young and vulnerable employees through abuse of trust”.
Harris ‘crossed the line’
“He has caused or allowed a culture to prevail in his garden from which more serious conservation issues that could cause real harm could easily arise,” the panel added.
Harris had “crossed the line” against a member of staff under the age of 16. There were WhatsApp messages expressing “adult views” and jokes containing “sexual innuendos”.
“MH [Harris] “He claimed these amounted to ‘innocent jokes’, but our finding is that these jokes were inappropriate and crossed the line.”
“We would like to make it clear that we think MH’s behavior in this matter is wrong. [name redacted] It was made for sexual gratification. But it was still inappropriate because, apart from his age, [name redacted] He had additional vulnerabilities, such as his home situation, and MH, consciously or unconsciously, was using this to create a situation. [name redacted] He was more dependent and attached to MH. All of this had the potential to isolate him and subject him to MH’s control.”
Other findings against him relate to breaches of the conditions of being a company director, bloodstock dealing and intimidation of neighboring trainer Simon Earle. Harris said Wednesday she was “disappointed” by the findings.
Harris, a well-known name in the racing world, had his license first revoked by the BHA in November. He started his working life as a barman in Bromsgrove, describing himself as a ‘working-class boy in a working-class pub’.
Originally license lost in 2011
In 2001 he was licensed to study at Paxford in Warwickshire but was declared bankrupt 10 years later and was prevented from teaching; He once summed it up: “He’s well-off but low on cash, and he doesn’t handle it as well as I do.” should have”.
He spent the next seven years fighting to get his license back, which was finally granted in 2018. He sent 56 winners in 2021-22 and won 55 races last season. This season he was on track to have his best season yet and had already dispatched 33 winners.
But after a four-day hearing held behind closed doors, the panel wrote: “In previous cases before the Licensing Committee, MH had presented dishonest evidence to the Committee, acted dishonestly towards the BHA and had no insight into the purpose of the regulation and the impact of its conduct… nothing new is on the table in this case.” “We see that it doesn’t bring any help, it’s the same story, just the names of those who lined up to help are different.”
It was revealed that Harris had also bullied and harassed Earle and behaved inappropriately with staff, including a girl who was “between 14 and 16” at the time. “We consider that Milton Harris is unmanageable, or at least unregulated in a regulatory context,” the panel wrote.
The tirades were secretly recorded
Earle secretly recorded several confrontations with Harris; during which he committed foul play, abuse and behaved in a threatening manner. Regarding his treatment of the young girl on his team, Harris denied any wrongdoing and said he acted like a father figure.
Harris said of the findings in a statement sent to the Racing Post: “I have only just learned the reasons and, frankly, I am disappointed.” My immediate priority is the staff, the horses and my owners, some of whom have been around for a very long time. That’s our focus right now.”
But BHA integrity director Tim Naylor said: “Some of the details in the Licensing Committee’s decision make extremely disturbing reading. Mr Harris’s conduct over a long period of time fell far short of what we would expect from a licensed individual and, in the Committee’s finding, could damage the reputation of racing if allowed to continue without repercussion. We are therefore pleased with the Panel’s finding that Mr Harris is not a fit and proper person to hold a licence.”