The former champion trainer only succeeded in getting reimbursed by Prince Sultan Bin Mishal al Saud after his name was put on the BHA forfeit list
Richard Hannon has opened up about his battle with a member of the Saudi royal family over a £321,000 debt for training fees. Hannon, 49, son of four-time champion Flat trainer Richard Sr, runs one of the top Flat racing stables in Britain and was champion trainer himself in 2014.
One of his owners was Prince Sultan Bin Mishal al Saud, 48, who had five horses in training with Hannon, two of which ran a total of five times without success during 2023.
Time To Hunt, a son of Hannon’s 2,000 Guineas winner Night Of Thunder, was bought as a foal for 80,000gns in 2021 and A La Noche, a son of Lope De Vega, was purchased on the same day at the 2021 Tattersall December foal sale where he fetched 300,000gns.
Prince Sultan was a well established owner in Saudi Arabia where he has had 370 winners, while he has also been successful in the US where star horses Lagynos and Merneith have been major contributors to 34 winners of more than £2.3 million between 2021 and 2024, as well as having runners in the UAE.
In February the name of the 48-year-old, of Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia appeared on the BHA forfeit list, for debt/arrears of £321,933.75, where he was listed as a ‘disqualified’ person.
As a result of the BHA’s action, the disqualification was reciprocated around the world preventing the prince from having runners in the Middle East, but within less than three weeks the debt was paid.
Hannon said on Wednesday, “The only thing that pushed these people into action was the disqualification. It’s not within the trainer’s power to do that.
“This wasn’t so much about me, it was about 65 people that I employ that would have gone without. There is not a business that can cope with that sort of debt. These people fully intended not to ever pay a penny.
“That’s not right and the BHA has shown it is there for trainers. It’s a very welcome message for me as a trainer.”
Hannon said Prince Sultan paid his bills when the horses were originally bought but never settled any of the invoices for training fees for the horses, who remain in Hannon’s stables.
“I put money into his Weatherbys account to be able to make entries and run them,” he said. “Admittedly I let the debt run up to about £70,000 before thinking it needs addressing. As an HRH you think that would be fine, they might be disorganised.
“I was promised the money the whole time for two years while asking for it. I got this excuse, that excuse. I kept getting pushed around from person to person and I wasn’t getting anywhere. The longer it went on the bigger the debt was getting, the more out of control and more unlikely I was to get paid at all.
“It doesn’t take long to build up but you’d like to think when you see people of that stature it won’t get to this.”
The trainer said his staff always got paid but certain upgrades to his facilities could not go ahead.
“We had half a gallop washed away the other day with the rain. That has to be replaced. We were trying to get the drainage put in last year and couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to go borrowing to put a gallop right. I needed the money, didn’t have it.
“The old part of our yard, the whole roof needs doing. That was put off for nearly two years on the back of this as well.
“That’s why it’s so important the BHA acted. Without that this would still be going on now, the debt would be running up. The power of disqualification was the sole motivation in getting this bill paid in my opinion.”
Hannon’s case was handled by the BHA’s interim co-director of integrity and regulation, Aja Hall.
She said: “There were a lot of difficult emails that were sent, sometimes of a quite personal nature, but we stood together on this. It was a tough ride but one that in a heartbeat I would do again.”
