Punter to sue over Stickels blunder; Jockey Club blamed for judge's error at Lingfield.
Punter Steven Simon is determined to sue the Jockey Club over an error by racecourse judge Jane Stickels which he claims cost him in the region of pounds 20,000.
Simon, a Leeds-based property consultant, has decided to take legal action out of frustration that he has not been offered an ex-gratia payment.
If the case fails - and the last punter to attempt to sue the Jockey Club for negligence lost the action - Simon is threatening to launch proceedings against Stickels herself.
"One way or another I'm going to make money out of this, because I've been badly done by," he said.
Stickels blamed "a slip of the pen" for her blunder in promoting Statajack, who finished sixth in a 16-runner handicap at Lingfield on June 19, to fourth, rather than fifth-past-the-post Fourdaned, following the disqualification of 'winner' Monacle.
Simon had 12 winning Tote Placepot tickets which won him pounds 6,500, but had another pounds 7 line including Fourdaned. He argues that had second-favourite Statajack been unplaced, the dividend, which paid pounds 434.30, would have been much greater .
Simon's bookmaker, Peter Smith, a business since bought by the Tote, and Rob Hartnett, the Tote's public relations director, both insisted the payout is only on the official result, and in his dealings with Portman Square, Simon has been informed that the Jockey Club has no legal liabilities concerning the outcome of an individual's bet with a bookmaker.
"The Jockey Club don't want to know, so I'm going to take them to court," said Simon, who intends to represent himself.
Stickels, who was subsequently ordered by the Jockey Club to undergo a period of retraining, is unable to comment under her
conditions of employment.
However, Club spokesman John Maxse said: "Mrs Stickels underwent a period of retraining and for several months wasn't judging on her own. That period has now passed, and she's back judging in her own right. We understand Mr Simon's frustration, but it's a matter between him and his bookmaker."
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