Latest news with #BritishHorseracingAuthority
Irish Daily Mirror
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Jockey who tested positive for cocaine admits 'I've been a plonker'
A jockey banned for giving a positive cocaine test admitted he had 'been a plonker before receiving a six-month suspension. The full circumstances of how Sam Lee, 27, ingested the drug remain unclear after he was found with it in his system. At a British Horseracing Authority disciplinary hearing, the amateur jockey presented a video to corroborate his version of events regarding the Class A substance intake. The specifics were not disclosed at the hearing, where Lee represented himself via video link while on a break from work in New Zealand. The sample was collected at Warwick Racecourse in May, where Lee came second in a beginners' chase. James O'Mahony, the enquiry chairman, remarked: "It (the cocaine) came into his possession inadvertently, in a sense, with some banknotes, but he did know what it was, or he had a good idea what it was, and he ingested it, took it deliberately. So it's not accidental in that sense but he didn't procure it deliberately." Lee, who has been an amateur rider at UK racecourses since 2015, was enjoying a successful streak in point-to-points before the test result initiated disciplinary action, reports the Express. His most notable victory under Rules was in 2019 when he steered Golan Fortune to win a Listed hurdle at Cheltenham, competing against professional jockeys. However, Lee, who also works part-time as a dairy farmer, will now have to work on reviving his career once he is eligible to reapply for his licence in November. BHA representative Charlotte Davison revealed to the panel members: "He said: 'I knew full well what I was doing,' and described himself as being 'a bit of a plonker' for doing what he did." Lee, who is planning his return to Britain in September, has been on suspension since May 22. He gave a brief summary of his situation, explaining that his career was on the upswing before he "made a mistake. "I cant express to you how deeply it has affected me," he confessed. "At the time, I was doing tremendous. I think, of my last five rides, four of them were winners. "In ways, it has given me a kick up the arse. I'm really having to work on mental and physical health - and that has been good." Lee acknowledged he had violated racing's Rule (K)49 and accepted a six-month ban, which was backdated to May 22, 2025.
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Peachey Carnehan's trainer hits back at critics after heartbreaking death of 17-time winner
Trainer Michael Mullineaux said 11-year-old Peachey Carnehan was "amazing for his age" and was due to be retired at his stable with some of his other yard favourites A trainer has hit back at his critics after his stable suffered the heartbreaking loss of their 17-time winner. Michael Mullineaux said Peachey Carnehan was a yard favourite who was due to be retired with some of his other former racers. Some fans of the sport have suggested Mullineaux should have already called it a day with the 11-year-old sprinter, as he appeared to have lost his form in several races before he was pulled up by jockey Rab Havlin at Leicester on Thursday. But the Cheshire handler said: "We had him entered in a couple of races as I thought he was ready to win again. In a million years I never thought something would happen to him. He was an amazing horse for his age, the vet would say so when trotting him up." Peachey Carnehan was having his 169th race in a career dating back to 2016 when he took a bad step in the Private Boxes For Best View @leicesterraces Classified Stakes. "We got him back to the stables, had him X-rayed and hoped we could save him," said Mullineaux. "Sadly it was a fracture that could not be repaired. Everybody here has been so upset about what happened. "We could do without the negativity. Our horses don't take on the big boys but we place a lot of emphasis on finding them a nice home or they stay here after they have finished racing." Peachey Carnehan was owned by 80-year-old former builder Keith Jones, who visited the yard often to bring the veteran mints or carrots. The pair made the decision to bring the thoroughbred back to the yard and bury him on the gallops, where they plan to place a bench in tribute to him. "We love our horses," added former jockey Mullineaux. "Methaaly, an 18-time winner, retired in 2014 and he is living out his days with us. "We don't do it for the money. If people saw how Peachey Carnehan was every day they might have a different view on it. He would come out of his box bucking and kicking. He loved life and loved racing." The British Horseracing Authority confirmed that the incident will be reviewed, as is the case with all fatal injuries on the racecourse.
Spectator
6 days ago
- Business
- Spectator
Labour is risking the future of racing
The only political party with a serious chance of winning office I will ever vote for again is the one which acknowledges that in all probability and at least for a while it will increase taxes. Every party piles up promises that they will be the ones to get Britain working again. But building power stations, reservoirs and schools costs money. So does hiring doctors and nurses, filling potholes and getting trains to run on time. Some claim they will finance their plans by creating growth, some by taxing the rich. Then voters discover that the growth fairy remains elusive and the rich have been re-defined to include them: public regard for politicians takes another dive. That the Labour party has blown its promises in record time and blundered its way through welfare reforms into creating a £5 billion hole in its finances comes as no special surprise. It is merely the latest example. What worries me is that in digging down the back of the sofa and checking the pockets of long-unworn suits in the search for cash, ministers may well begin destroying a historic sport which has given me and many millions a lifetime's enjoyment and which supports thousands of jobs in rural areas. Racing is in danger and the unusual speed with which the sport's sectoral interests are coming together to campaign against a new 'racing tax' shows that it knows it. Warning signals have been piling up. Fewer foals are being bred. Prize money levels are in decline compared with other racing jurisdictions. Thanks to the nonsensical way in which affordability checks on punters are being implemented, betting turnover is down £1.6 billion over the past two years. Since racing depends on money from a levy based on bookmakers' profits for a third of its finances, that loss is serious. Now, against that background, the Treasury has instigated a study into amalgamating the 15 per cent General Betting Duty on racing bets with the 21 per cent duty charged on online gaming. A tearfully desperate Chancellor can be expected to grab any extra revenue she can and with parliament these days in a moralistic mood over problem gambling, what would be presented as a Treasury tidying-up may not meet the political resistance it should. The British Horseracing Authority has calculated that 'harmonisation' of the two betting duties at 21 per cent into a single Remote Betting and Gaming Duty would result in a loss to racing of £66 million a year from the levy, media rights and sponsorship. The sport's elder statesman, Newmarket trainer John Gosden, is no alarmist but he has called the 'racing tax', as it has been dubbed, one of the gravest risks the sport has ever faced. Lumping racing together with gaming, he and other trainers argue, would make racing the most expensive product for bookmakers who would concentrate instead on gaming products (proven incidentally to be more of a danger to problem gamblers than horseracing). It threatens too what Gosden calls a massive upsurge in black-market gambling, whereby no revenue comes back to the government, no revenue benefits the sport and wherein there is no protection for the punter. Most MPs know nothing about horseracing. Fortunately, at least two sensible voices from right and left are making themselves heard. Conservative Nick Timothy and Labour MP Dan Carden, chair of parliament's racing and bloodstock group, have been urging the government not to legislate racing out of existence, arguing that the industry contributes £4.1 billion to the economy and £300 million a year to the Treasury while keeping 100,000 people in work. Both speak from knowledge. Timothy is the MP for West Suffolk, which includes the training centre of Newmarket, while Carden represents Liverpool Walton, home to Aintree's Grand National, and he made a key point in telling the Racing Post that betting on horseracing is fundamentally different to casino activity: 'Racing bets are grounded in skill, knowledge and careful judgment… this isn't reckless gambling, it's thoughtful engagement with a historic sport that rewards patience and insight rather than impulsive risk-taking.' I couldn't agree more. I haven't had a bet on the turn of a card or the whirl of a roulette wheel in 40 years but the intricacies of horseracing offer endlessly enjoyable debate and occasional success. Like the late Barry Hills, I watch out next time for horses which were hard to pull up on their previous run. My form-guru friend rarely misses a winner wearing blinkers for the first time. Within hours of telling my son last Saturday that horses sent north by Berkshire trainer Andrew Balding and ridden by P.J. Mcdonald are always worth a look, I had winners at 5-1 and 14-1 in my profits column. If you have ever enjoyed the few minutes of ownership that betting on a racehorse gives you then now is the time to act: contact your MP and tell them if they vote for the betting tax then you won't be voting for them ever again. It does help to concentrate the mind.
Sunday World
15-07-2025
- Sunday World
Irish champion jockey labels drink-driving conviction a 'nightmare' and 'mistake'
Oisin Murphy was fined €80,000 and banned from driving for 20 monts after pleading guilty. Irish champion jockey Oisin Murphy has described his recent 'nightmare' following a car crash and subsequent drink-driving conviction in a UK court. The Kerry native was banned from driving for 20 months and hit with a fine of £70,000 (€80,000) after admitting to driving a vehicle over the prescribed limit of alcohol in April. The court heard that the 29-year-old drove his Mercedes A Class off the road and into a tree in the English village of Hermitage in the county of Berkshire at 12.05am on Sunday, April 27. Both the Kerryman and his female passenger were taken to hospital after the crash, with Murphy then twice taking breathalyser test at a police station once he was discharged. Oisin Murphy admitted drink-driving (PA) The jockey was found to be over the drink-driving limit after blowing a reading of 66mg per 100m of breath. Following the court proceedings, the British Horseracing Authority imposed an 'extremely strict set of conditions and monitoring requirements' on Murphy's riding licence, the details of which have been kept confidential. The Irishman has now spoken up for the first time in the wake of his convcition and has labelled the ordeal as a 'nightmare for everyone involved'. "It's very important not to make that error again, it was a nightmare particularly for everyone involved, not just myself, for everyone else and the people who had to pick up the pieces, my support network,' he said in an interview with At The Races. Jockey Oisin Murphy. Photo: Jonathan Brady/PA Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 15th 2025 "Time is a great healer but I won't be forgetting about that mistake. "They (the BHA) never disclose licence information, I'm not the first jockey to drink and drive or commit offences, it's obviously more high profile because it's me. "Due to the profile I have, those incidents should never occur but the BHA have been fantastic to work with and I really appreciate what they have done to help me and I want to repay them.' Murphy also offered an update on the condition of the passenger who was alongside him for the crash, noting she 'is really well'. When asked whether she was back living a normal life, the 29-year-old responded: 'I don't think that's anyone's business.' During sentencing, Judge Sam Goozee has stated that Murphy was 'lucky that neither you, your passenger, or the public were injured'. The judge added: 'I do balance that with the remorse you have shown for your actions. You have also recognised that you have let the public down by virtue of your actions, and your colleagues in the racing world.' The Killarney man stated he has been in counselling for the past four years but has 'relied on it an awful lot' since the crash in April. Murphy's racing career has continued since his driving ban and recently landed a double at Windsor Racecourse this past Monday.
BreakingNews.ie
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- BreakingNews.ie
Irish jockey Oisin Murphy speaks of ‘nightmare' car crash and drink driving conviction
Oisin Murphy has described his car crash and subsequent conviction for drink driving in England as 'a nightmare for everyone involved'. The four-times champion jockey was fined £70,000 (€80,000) and banned from driving for 20 months having pleaded guilty to one count of driving a motor vehicle while over the prescribed limit of alcohol after the accident in April. Advertisement Murphy drove a grey Mercedes A Class off the road and into a tree in Hermitage, Berkshire, at about 12.05am on April 27th. He had a passenger with him at the time, who was the owner of the car, the court heard. They were both taken to hospital after the crash. Murphy was later discharged to take a breathalyser test at a police station at about 7am, which showed a reading of 66mg per 100 millilitres of breath, 'just shy of twice above the drink-driving limit' at the time of driving. Following the conclusion of those court proceedings, the British Horseracing Authority announced the immediate imposition of 'an extremely strict set of conditions and monitoring requirements' on Murphy's riding licence which 'must be adhered to at all times', although the exact details remain confidential. Advertisement Speaking at Windsor on Monday evening, Murphy told Sky Sports Racing: 'It's very important not to make that error again, it was a nightmare particularly for everyone involved, not just myself, for everyone else and the people who had to pick up the pieces, my support network. Time is a great healer but I won't be forgetting about that mistake. 'They [the BHA] never disclose licence information, I'm not the first jockey to drink and drive or commit offences, it's obviously more high profile because it's me. Due to the profile I have, those incidents should never occur but the BHA have been fantastic to work with and I really appreciate what they have done to help me and I want to repay them.' Murphy said the passenger who was involved in the crash 'is really well, that's the most important thing' and spoke about the counselling he had received both before and after the accident. He added: 'I have been [in counselling] for the last four years and obviously had very good spells due to that support network and I relied on it an awful lot since late April and before it but certainly since late April and I have got to thank those people because they have gone above and beyond when the process hasn't been very easy.' Advertisement However, Murphy criticised the coverage his case had received, saying: 'There was going to be a lot said in the media and it's important not to allow the media to bully you too much because you can get very down, but I had horses to ride and a job to do. It's great to be riding every day and hopefully to the same level I was able to do at Royal Ascot and in the weeks previously. He added: 'Not everyone wants one to achieve, there's a lot of jealousy out there, particularly in the media, but I worked all my life to ride good horses and I'll continue to do that. The only thing that can inhibit me from not progressing further in my career is myself, so that's a realisation.'
