French champion jockey Pierre-Charles Boudot, who was on Monday arrested in Chantilly and on Wednesday charged with the rape of a work rider in February, has been suspended from race riding for three months by France Galop stewards. Also suspended is jockey Pierre Bazire, who was charged with failing to prevent and report a crime. Boudot has been released on bail of €50,000 and placed under judicial supervision.
The charges stemmed from an allegation made against the 28-year-old Boudot by a 25-year-old female work rider from an incident in Cagnes-sur-Mer on Feb. 27, 2021, and from a large number of interviews conducted in the interim, according to the Senlis public prosecutor's office. Boudot, who holds a commanding lead in the current jockeys' standings in France, had been previously accused of rape in 2018.
France Galop had initially stood down Boudot and Bazire for two days following Wednesday's indictment, and with Friday's decision noted that the two jockeys remain presumed innocent during the ongoing criminal proceedings, but that the seriousness of the allegations and potential damage to the image of racing necessitated the suspensions. French racing's governing body likewise noted that the sanctions could be lifted or renewed depending upon information it receives on the proceedings.
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