Irish jockey Robbie Dunne has received an 18-month suspension after being found guilty of bullying and harassing female rider Bryony Frost in a high-profile disciplinary case.
The verdict follows a two-week hearing that raised serious concerns about the jockeys' culture in UK racing.
Dunne was found in breach on four counts of conduct prejudicial to horse racing by an independent three-person disciplinary panel of the British Horseracing Authority.
He had been charged with seven breaches in total.
The other three charges, of violent and threatening behaviour, are yet to be considered. Three months of his 18-month ban are suspended.
Dunne has seven days to appeal the decision.
Earlier this week, in final submissions to the panel, Louis Weston — representing the BHA at the hearing — had warned that the sport exerted "pressure on those who would otherwise speak freely".
"Its time, if ever it had its time, has gone.”
Calls for change after 'groundbreaking' case
In handing down its verdict, the BHA said it had been a “groundbreaking” and “first of its kind” case for British racing that must “act as a catalyst for further change within the industry.”
The majority of the incidents in question took place in 2020, when Dunne was found by the panel to have used threatening and misogynistic language toward Frost, who is from England.
The panel found Dunne had threatened Frost by promising to "put her through the wing [of a fence]", as well as using language such as "f***ing whore" and "f***ing slut".
“Our conclusion on the whole of the evidence,” said Brian Barker, who chaired the panel, “is that a course of deliberate conduct over a significant period of time has been revealed.
"On examination of Miss Frost's evidence and demeanour we find her to be truthful, careful and compelling. By taking her complaint to the authority she has broken the code, knowing that isolation and rejection by some was inevitable."
Barker described the language used toward Frost as “totally unacceptable, whatever the frustrations about her style and whatever the habits of the weighing room”.
He added that the panel had "a real concern that what was referred to … as ‘the weighing-room culture’ is deep-rooted and coercive and that in itself is not conducive to the development of modern-day race-riding”.
Dunne had denied the four charges of conduct prejudicial to horse racing and two of the three counts of violent or improper behaviour.
Frost thanks supporters after verdict
Frost is regarded as a trailblazer in British and Irish horse racing. In 2019, she became the first female jockey to win a top-grade race over obstacles at the prestigious Cheltenham Festival.
Around the same time as the verdict was being handed down, she was winning at Warwick in England's Midlands, riding Graystone for trainer Lucy Wadham.
She spoke briefly after the announcement but did not address the actual verdict.
“I wish now to take a few days to reflect on the outcome before I make any further comment."
The BHA said Frost had taken a “courageous step”.
“We hope that others who may be in similar positions will feel comfortable doing the same,” it said.
AP/ABC
