A group 1-winning syndicate has been barred by the British Horseracing Authority from running its horses in Britain after allegedly leaving its members and trainers in a "horrible situation" and out of pocket.
Deva Racing, whose director is Ryan Tongue, is alleged to have failed to pay its syndicate members prize-money winnings, oversold shares in their horses, including former flagbearer Imperial Emperor, and failed to pay its training fees.
James Owen is one of those impacted by the allegations made against Deva, with a host of trainers in Britain allegedly owed money by them.
Speaking to the Racing Post, the Newmarket trainer said: "I'm very disappointed about it all and I feel very sorry for the syndicate members, because we had a lot of success for Deva. It's a horrible situation, but hopefully it will get sorted. We should know in the next few weeks how we lie.
"It's turned into a messy situation for quite a few trainers in Britain, and it's a real shame. We have a lot of syndicates in our yard and they're very successful, so it's disappointing this has happened. It's not a great look and hopefully it was a one-off and everyone gets what's due, from the trainers to the staff to the syndicate members.
"However, it doesn't tarnish my other syndicates that are run very well by honest people and continue to grow."
A statement from the BHA said: "We can confirm that the BHA has put a stop on entries and declarations being made for Deva Racing Syndicate horses trained in Britain. We encourage any concerned syndicate members to contact the BHA on intel@britishhorseracing.com.
"We will be making no further comment regarding this matter at this time."
Deva Racing put some of its horses up for auction at this month's Tattersalls July Sale, with three of those sold. Dapper Valley was the most expensive and went to Michael Keady Racing for 25,000 guineas.
One of the horses at the heart of the allegations is Imperial Emperor, who was trained for Deva by Bhupat Seemar in Dubai and has earned nearly £1.5 million in prize money in his career.
His wins include the Al Maktoum Challenge (G1) in January at Meydan Racecourse, while the 6-year-old finished fourth in the Dubai World Cup (G1) in March, for which the purse was more than £400,000.
One of his syndicate members, Tom Walton, alleged on the Nick Luck Daily podcast that the money he earned for his Dubai World Cup effort has not been paid, which would have been nearly £30,000 each per 5% share.
He said Tongue was given a deadline of July 8 to pay the members, but that the money has not arrived.
Walton also alleged Deva Racing sold shares in Imperial Emperor up to 130%, rather than 100%, and that Tongue entered him into sales hosted by Tattersalls Online and the Emirates Racing Authority without the syndicate members' consent.
He said that he and other members have since purchased Imperial Emperor privately and that he will remain in training with Seemar.
According to Deva Racing's website, alongside Owen, its trainers have included Hugo Palmer, Ian Williams, and Olly Murphy. They also say they had a horse, Never On Friday, with Wesley Ward in the United States.
According to the BHA, there are 3,019 syndicates in Britain. In 2024, it introduced a license for syndicates and racing club managers designed to "further strengthen the regulation of shared ownership."
Every syndicate or club manager was required to have a valid license in place by Jan. 1 this year. The BHA said it allows them to "evaluate applications more thoroughly" and assess key areas such as business competence.
Tongue did not respond when contacted by the Racing Post.
