Six-times champion jockey Kieren Fallon lost a betting syndicate £105,000 when he refused to lose on one of Queen Elizabeth's racehorses, London's Old Bailey court was told today.
Despite promising to cheat on one of racing's most prominent owners, Fallon went back on his word because he feared he was being watched and could lose his riding licence, prosecutor Jonathan Caplan alleged.
Daring Aim duly won the race in July 2004 at Newmarket, the headquarters of British racing.
"They are watching me," Fallon told co-defendant and alleged intermediary Philip Sherkle in a text message recovered from a mobile phone in Fallon's car after his arrest, Mr Caplan told the jury.
The court heard that businessman Miles Rodgers bet £2.2 million in internet accounts with online bookmaker Betfair. He allegedly used a stable of three jockeys, including Fallon, to fix races.
Rodgers, the prosecutor alleges, had to lay huge sums of money to win relatively small amounts but he could do so safe in the knowledge that the horse would lose. Police bugged his car to record calls he made.
Mr Caplan alleges that Fallon, three times winner of the Epsom Derby, was involved with fellow jockeys Darren Williams and Fergal Lynch in agreeing to cheat in 27 races.
The six defendants in the case all deny the charges in a trial that could last up to four months.
Earlier, the court was told that Fallon earned the syndicate more than £26,000 by agreeing to lose on a favourite that should have "won at a canter."
Ballinger Ridge's trainer Andrew Balding was left fuming and racegoers were astonished when Fallon eased down the horse after he had streaked to the front at Lingfield Park in March 2004, the prosecution said. He ended up second.
"Having built up a huge lead the horse should have won at a canter," Mr Caplan told the jury. Later that month, racing's ruling body, the Jockey Club, called in the police who started a covert investigation into the gambling syndicate which resulted in the arrest of Fallon and five other defendants.
The court was told Fallon caused another crisis in the syndicate when he lost his alleged co-conspirators more than £160,000 after winning by half-a-length on Russian Rhythm in a Group One race at the Newbury track in May 2004.
"Rodgers and the other conspirators were clearly expecting the horse to lose under Fallon but something went wrong," Mr Caplan said.
"The prosecution cannot say what precisely went wrong but we can say that Shaun Lynch (jockey Fergal Lynch's brother and a co-defendant) was seen as being an unreliable intermediary between Rodgers and Fallon after this," he added.