Horse racing-Jockey Dunne banned 18 months for bullying fellow rider Frost

Jockey Robbie Dunne has been banned for 18 months, with three months suspended, after being found guilty of bullying and harassing fellow rider Bryony Frost over a seven-month period, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) said on Thursday. An independent disciplinary panel heard evidence about horse racing's "weighing-room culture", which its chair, Brian Barker QC, described as coercive.

Jockey Robbie Dunne has been banned for 18 months, with three months suspended, after being found guilty of bullying and harassing fellow rider Bryony Frost over a seven-month period, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) said on Thursday.

An independent disciplinary panel heard evidence about horse racing's "weighing-room culture", which its chair, Brian Barker QC, described as coercive. Dunne, 36, was found in breach of four counts of conduct prejudicial to the integrity and reputation of horse racing between Feb. 13, 2020 and Sept. 3, 2020.

The panel found Dunne guilty of distasteful targeting and deliberate harassment on and off the course, and ruled that there had been "occasional cases of dangerous bullying". "It sends a clear message that conduct of this nature cannot be tolerated in any working environment within our sport," the BHA said in a statement.

"By stepping forward to report the behaviour of which she was on the receiving end, Bryony Frost took a courageous step. We hope that others who may be in similar positions will feel comfortable doing the same." Dunne was found to have threatened Frost by promising to "put her through a wing (of a fence)" and he was also accused of using misogynistic language towards her.

"...The weighing room culture... is deep-rooted and coercive, and in itself not conducive to the good health and development of modern-day race-riding," Barker said. The Professional Jockeys Association (PJA) said https://twitter.com/PJAOfficial/status/1468985193482575872 Dunne's conduct fell short of its standards but that it believed he had not been subjected to a "remotely fair process".

"The PJA does not accept the disciplinary panel's findings in relation to the culture within and collective behaviour of the jump jockeys weighing room," the statement added. "It is a grossly inaccurate and wholly unfair representation of the weighing-room and a conclusion we believe is at odds with the evidence presented."

Dunne had denied two of the three counts of violent or improper behaviour towards Frost, 26, and all four prejudicial conduct charges, including bullying and harassing. Frost became the first woman to win the King George VI Chase in December last year and the first woman to ride a top-level Grade One Cheltenham Festival winner in March, 2019.

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