George Rooke, an apprentice jockey riding for Richard Hughes, has been suspended seven days after riding several races under an incorrect claim, the British Horseracing Authority announced on Monday. Rooke has had five winners removed from his record after failing to report three winners from Jersey in the summer of 2019, and he was thus claiming too much weight for a period of time. He was also disqualified from 19 of the 26 races in question. An enquiry was held by the BHA with evidence given on July 23. Due to the current COVID pandemic, it was determined that a more severe penalty was not appropriate. Rooke will be benched from Aug. 25-31.
A BHA spokesman said: “Mr Rooke was subject to a fair hearing in front of an independent disciplinary panel, and we accept their findings that he was in breach of the relevant rules and their decision to impose a seven-day suspension.
“It is appropriate for the panel to apply an approach consistent with the objective of the Judicial Panels Code to achieve a fair and just result with regards to the retrospective qualification of Mr. Rooke to ride in certain races in what were unusual circumstances,” said a BHA spokesperson. “There were a number of factors at play in this case. With such a significant number of horses involved, the impact on connections and on the administration of racing was considerable, but it was evident that Mr. Rooke's actions have already had a considerable effect upon him, particularly at such an early stage of his career.
“We will be considering whether there is further work needed within the training and coaching procedures for young jockeys to minimise the risk of an incident like this happening again.”
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