Horse death threat punter avoids prison by a nose

A GAMBLER with zero horse sense has avoided jail time by a nose, having threatened to kill a thoroughbred nag if it wasn’t withdrawn from a race.

Many is the unlucky punter who may have felt like unceremoniously dispatching a horse, but such thoughts are usually “also rans”.

Not so in the case of British better Andrew Rodgerson, 26, who warned a Co Meath stud manager not to run 2008 St Leger winner Conduit in a valuable Group One race at Ascot after he forgot to place an accumulator bet on behalf of a syndicate.

Members of the syndicate were described as “powerful men” and “shadowy men”, dark horses collectively.

With fears of probable knee-capping instead of handicapping, or at the very least a backstretch in the physical sense of the word, Rodgerson panicked.

Conduit, who won last July’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at 13/8, would have been worth £50,000 to the syndicate, if the bet had been placed.

But after he forgot to place an accumulator bet on behalf of the syndicate, Rodgerson texted Peter Reynolds, manager of Ballymacoll Stud in Co Meath, and warned: “Dear Peter, I don’t believe you are taking the threat of death to Conduit very seriously.

“We want the horse removed from the King George this weekend. If you co-operate the horse will live.

“There are people living in and around Newmarket who are ready and willing. There will also be people around at Ascot on Saturday.”

Police in the Newmarket area were informed and Rodgerson was arrested at his home address just two days before the King George.

He admitted making the threats.

Rodgerson pleaded guilty to threatening to commit damage at an earlier hearing after an initial charge of blackmail was dropped.

Sentencing him to 34 weeks in jail, suspended for two years, Judge Angela Nield at Bolton Crown Court said he had embarked on a “foolish escapade”.