Racing

Hayley Turner’s jockey’s licence suspended for three months

Britain’s most successful female jockey opened a betting account after ‘retirement’

Hayley Turner: expressed her regret after a “mistake” concerning the opening of an internet betting account left her facing a British Horseracing Authority disciplinary panel. Photograph: John Walton/PA

Chris Cook
Thu Dec 14 2017 - 18:45

Hayley Turner was criticised for "a lax and complacent attitude to the rules of racing" as her jockey's licence was suspended for three months for breaching the rules against betting.

Racing’s ruling body said her stakes had been modest and she had not wagered on races in which she was involved but she had nevertheless breached a longstanding rule familiar to everyone in the sport.

“I’m a bit disappointed,” a visibly upset Turner said afterwards.

“Three months is a quarter of a year not earning any money and the BHA have said I’m not a threat to the integrity of the sport. It’s hard to understand, to be honest.”

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However, she accepts that she was at fault and will not appeal.

Turner opened a betting account with Paddy Power in December 2015, one month after her well-publicised retirement. But she fell into a trap of her own making by reapplying for a licence the following year in order to ride in invitation events, while continuing to bet. More recently, she has taken rides in France to take advantage of the weight allowance offered to all female jockeys there.

In total, she placed 164 bets until August, when Paddy Power notified the British Horseracing Authority that they believed she was breaching the rules. She made a net profit of £160.

In explanation, Turner said she regarded herself, since retirement, as a broadcaster who only rode occasionally.

"Whenever I had a jockey head on me, I'd never dream of having a bet," she said and her lawyer, Rory Mac Neice, pointed out that her betting activity stopped during the periods when she was riding in races.

Mac Neice argued that a fine would be an appropriate penalty. The jockey will nevertheless be relieved that the panel did not disqualify her from the sport for any period, which would mean she could not set foot on a racecourse or discuss racing with trainers or jockeys.

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