Champion jockey Oisin Murphy has been banned for 11 months after admitting to breaking rules covering Covid, misleading the British Horseracing Authority and prejudicial conduct and must serve an additional 100 days for two alcohol breaches.
The rider faced five charges, two relating to failed tests for alcohol in May and October last year and separate counts of misleading the authority as to his whereabouts and accessing a racecourse in breach of Covid-19 restrictions – both in September 2020 – and to conduct prejudicial to the good reputation of the sport.
Murphy temporarily relinquished his licence when the charges were announced as he sought professional help, so his suspension will be backdated to December 8.
The 26-year-old, who was also fined a total of £31,111, admitted all five charges brought against him by the BHA.
The panel, chaired by His Honour James O’Mahony who was along side Rachel Spearing and Anthony Connell, heard the BHA’s case first, put forward by Charlotte Davison.
She outlined a timeline of events from when Murphy went on holiday on September 9, 2020 to September 19. Murphy had gone to the Greek island of Mykonos, which was on the Covid red-list at the time, but he had attempted to convince officials he had been at Lake Como.
Murphy subsequently failed two breath tests for alcohol last year, on May 5 at Chester and October 8 at Newmarket – his second and third breaches within the allotted time period to trigger a lengthy ban.
The three-times champion will be ineligible to reapply for his licence until February 16, 2023.
Issues
Murphy made a lengthy statement to the BHA panel, in which he outlined his alcohol issues and admitted lying about his whereabouts in 2020.
He concluded by saying: “I couldn’t undo the lies and deceit. Now that I’m sober I’m a different person and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have made those errors sober, but I can’t go back in time and I’m afraid they were grave issues.
“I dealt with success and failure the same. Drink was the rock I perished on. People had told me this could happen but I failed to avoid it and fell into the trap.
“The day I picked up the championship trophy there was no element of joy in it for me. I admit all the breaches and just wish I could have dealt with them better.”
In handing out the punishment, O’Mahony said: “He’s a young man, a brilliant jockey and a superb horseman and we’re not here to criticise you for the sake of it, but to explain our reasons and apply the rules.
“But however affected by addiction that you may have been, we conclude you thought you were above the rules and the law. And however high you are, you are not above them. They apply to all.
“All you had to do was self-isolate as countless others had to do, but you embarked on a deception that was planned, carefully calculated and detailed and it was prolonged for a significant period of time.
“You had time to think ‘what am I doing?’ but you only put your hands up when you had your back against the wall.
“The lie began on September 17, 2020 to May 25, 2021 and then you reinforced the lie by giving elaborate details to the media making reference to the “Italian bulge”.
“In the period between September 13-26 you took 74 rides with significant winnings (11 winners) and we conclude that the breach of the second offence was aggravated by the advantage you gained in the jockeys’ championship.”
Oisin Murphy – transgressions timeline
It has been a bumpy few years in the life of Oisin Murphy, with a clutch of high-profile successes and a third successive champion jockey title punctuated with some disciplinary issues. We look back on how the dramas unfolded.
June 16, 2019: Murphy is stood down for the day after failing a breath test at Salisbury.
October 1, 2020: Murphy announces he tested positive for cocaine while riding at Chantilly on July 19 and will face a France Galop inquiry. The rider maintains his innocence and states he has “never taken cocaine in my life”.
October 27, 2020: Murphy records the 1,000th winner of his career aboard Perfect Sign – in the colours of retained owners Qatar Racing – at Southwell.
November 3, 2020: Murphy is crowned champion jockey for a second successive year as it becomes mathematically impossible for William Buick to peg back his advantage.
November 27, 2020: France Galop bans Murphy for three months – with the suspension running from December 11 to March 11. Similar cases had resulted in a six-month suspension, but France Galop accepted Murphy’s defence of environmental contamination from a sexual encounter and scientific hair test evidence and imposed a lighter sentence.
March 12, 2021: Murphy is booked to return to action at Lingfield but is forced to delay his comeback after it emerges he has not completed the necessary medical requirements set out by the British Horseracing Authority. He eventually returns later that month.
May 5, 2021: Murphy provides a urine sample while riding at Chester, which later shows the rider exceeded the threshold level for alcohol – a charge that does not become clear until December.
October 8, 2021: Murphy is stood down for the day at Newmarket after failing a breathalyser test before racing and is referred to the BHA for further consideration.
October 15, 2021: Two national newspapers report Murphy had been involved in an alleged pub fracas the previous week in Newmarket, with the incident apparently taking place the evening before he failed a pre-race breath test.
October 16, 2021: Murphy is crowned champion jockey for a third successive season after a titanic battle with Buick.
November 6, 2021: Murphy claims a first Breeders’ Cup success aboard Japanese-trained outsider Marche Lorraine in the Distaff at Del Mar.
December 16, 2021: Murphy announces he is relinquishing his riding licence with immediate effect in a joint-statement with the BHA, in which the regulator outlines charges the rider will face in a future hearing. Murphy states he needs to “seek serious help” and will not ride for an indefinite period in order to “focus on my rehabilitation”.
February 22, 2022: The rider faces a BHA hearing where he is told he will not be able to reapply for his licence for a total of 14 months after admitting to breaking Covid rules, misleading the authority and prejudicial conduct, plus two alcohol breaches. He cannot return to race-riding until February 16, 2023, with his punishment backdated to December 8, when he gave in his licence.
