Club verdict means Australian is ineligible to ride until September 1 next year
The Australian comeback of jailed jockey Chris Munce has been put on hold again after Hong Kong stewards yesterday disqualified him for a period to end on September 1 next year.
Munce's 30-month disqualification over 36 charges relating to his arrest in July 2006, over the so-called 'tips-for-bets' affair, mirrors the original punishment handed down to him in the District Court on March 1, 2007.
The jockey had been sentenced to 30 months' jail after being found guilty under the Prevention Of Bribery Ordinance with having passed on information about horses he was riding to a punter, who then placed bets on Munce's behalf on the horses he tipped.
Munce, 39, tipped 36 horses to businessman Dinesh Kumar Daswani, who passed the tips to another businessman, Andy Lau Wai-ching, who placed bets on the horses. Munce and Daswani shared a cut of the winnings.
Eighteen of the alleged tips won before Munce was arrested with HK$250,000 cash in his pockets on July 3, 2006, after meeting Lau at the Royal Garden Hotel.
