Racing: Documentary uncovers shadier side of the turf

The harsh glare of a television spotlight falls on the shadier side of racing tonight when the BBC documentary series Kenyon Confronts investigates how racehorse trainers obtain favourable handicap weights for their runners. The programme makers yesterday described their revelations as exposing people who occupy the "dark underbelly of the sport", but racing regulars might instead view the subject as nothing more than a grey area.

Also under scrutiny will be the undercover methods of Paul Kenyon and his team, which have provoked angry reactions from several trainers, protests from the National Trainers' Federation and Jockey Club and sparked on-course scuffles which resulted in a camera crew being ejected by officials.

By their own admission the programme makers have pitched their documentary "towards people who don't know very much about racing", but it will still make uncomfortable viewing for the Jockey Club, protectors of racing's integrity, and the three trainers under scrutiny: David Wintle, Ferdy Murphy and Jamie Osborne, who have since maintained that their comments were misinterpreted or taken out of context.

Kenyon goes undercover as a prospective racehorse owner, gaining the confidence of trainers and asking them if they would be able to bring off a gamble for him. Of seven trainers targeted, only one, apparently, refused to countenance the idea, while footage from concealed cameras shows Murphy and Osborne discussing possible strategies with what they believe to be a fresh, wealthy owner that has just landed in their lap. "You can give yourself an edge," Osborne says. "We don't mind cheating. It's not cheating, it's just using the system."

It is Wintle, though, who is the unlucky one who is selected to train for Kenyon, posing as a wealthy antiques dealer. Wintle describes the horse in question, Seattle Alley, as "a fiddling horse . . . a jobber", and details how he will run him over an unsuitable distance and on ground that he does not like so that the handicapper will drop him in the weights.

From everyone's point of view things then start to go wrong when the horse fails to win when Wintle suggests this should be the race for getting the money on. Later, he realises who his new owners are and that he is about to become a television star. When Kenyon confronts him at Stratford racecourse, dogging his every step, Wintle turns on him and twists his fingers back until the reporter is forced to fall to the floor.

"To be fair, with Dave Wintle we're talking about the lower echelons of the sport," Kenyon said yesterday. "And to be fair to Jamie Osborne he was under the impression that we were interested in gambling.

"We didn't go into this being anti-racing, but there are certain stories that have never been investigated properly. We felt that this was in the public interest. If people knew what the trainer knew [about his horses' chances] would they put their money on?"

The Jockey Club decided not to appear on the programme. "In view of how Kenyon Confronts were treating the material they already had we could not be confident our views would be accurately reflected in the final programme," a statement said.

After tonight's screening the Club will decide what action to take and Kenyon would like them to follow up his investigation. "I hope they take it seriously and that they don't brush it under the carpet," he said.

There are regrets too. "It would have been great if the horse had won," Kenyon said. "It would certainly have helped with the programme budget." For Wintle, his training regime, which he describes as "a good game played quietly", may never be quite the same again.

Kenyon Confronts (BBC1, 9.30)