Honeysuckle owner charged with conspiracy offences after 'international investigation'

The owner of Cheltenham Festival legend Honeysuckle has been charged with conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to bribe by the Crown Prosecution Service. Kenny Alexander was chief executive of GVC Holdings, the parent company of Ladbrokes and Coral now known as Entain, up to 2020.

He also owns a string of racehorses, the best known of which is Honeysuckle who became one of the most popular performers of this century by winning 17 of her 19 races, all under Rachael Blackmore.

She won four times at Cheltenham, capturing the Mares’ Hurdle in 2020 and 2023 and the Champion Hurdle in 2021 and 2022. He enjoyed two wins at the 2025 Festival with wins in the Pertemps Network Final with Doddiethegreat and County Hurdle with Kargese.

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On Thursday Alexander, from Perth, Scotland, was one of 11 individuals charged by the CPS following an investigation into the provision of gambling services to Turkey between 2011 and 2018.

Hannah von Dadelszen, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said:“The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised the prosecution of 11 individuals for seven offences relating to bribery, conspiracy to defraud, fraudulent trading, cheating the public revenue, evasion of income tax, acting as a director of a company when undischarged bankrupt and perverting the course of justice.

“These offences relate to the provision of gambling services in Turkey between 2011 and 2018. Our prosecutors have worked closely with officers of HM Revenue and Customs who have carried out the investigation.

Richard Las, Director of HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service, said: “This has been a complex and international investigation. These are serious charges that relate to conspiracy to defraud, bribery, cheating the public revenue, evasion of income tax and perverting the course of justice among others.

“We remind everyone that proceedings are now active and we won’t be adding anything further."

The first hearing in the case is scheduled to take place on October 6 at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London.