Pierre-Charles Boudot, who was arrested on Monday in Chantilly along with fellow jockey Pierre Bazire, has been charged with the rape of a work rider in February. The French champion jockey was released on bail of €50,000 on Wednesday and placed under judicial supervision.
Bazire is also under supervision and has been charged with failing to prevent and report a crime. Both jockeys have also been named as witnesses to the intimidation of a witness.
The charges relate to an allegation made against Boudot, 28, by a 25-year-old female exercise rider two days after an alleged assault in Cagnes-sur-Mer on Feb. 17, 2021.
Jean-Baptiste Bladier of the Senlis public prosecutor's office released a statement on Wednesday which read, “Following the relinquishment of the Grasse public prosecutor's office in favour of that of Senlis, due to the usual domicile of the defendant and the complainant, a preliminary investigation, opened on the count of rape, was entrusted to the Chantilly police.
“Following a large number of interviews, on May 10, 2021 the investigators placed M. Pierre-Charles Boudot and another jockey, identified by the press as Pierre Bazire, in police custody. Today, May 12, 2021, the Senlis prosecutor's office requested the opening of a judicial investigation.”
Boudot had previously been accused of rape in 2018 when a complaint was made against him by a female amateur rider for an assault which was alleged to have taken place in 2015. The jockey strongly refuted the claims in a statement released through his lawyer in January 2020.
The restrictions of Boudot's judicial supervision mean that he is forbidden from appearing in the Oise region of France, which includes Chantilly, where he lives.
A three-time winner of the Cravache d'Or as leading rider in France, Boudot already has a commanding lead in this year's championship and has to date ridden 105 winners, more than double the number of his nearest rival Theo Bachelot. As of Wednesday afternoon, he was booked to ride four horses at ParisLongchamp on Thursday, including the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe runner-up In Swoop (Ire) (Adlerflug {Ger}) in the G3 Prix d'Hedouville. Under normal circumstances Boudot would also be expected to feature in the first French Classics of the season, the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, which are set to be run at the course on Sunday.
Late on Wednesday evening France Galop issued a statement advising of an interim two-day suspension for Boudot. Bazire has no rides booked during that time and both jockeys will be allowed to make representation to the governing body by 3pm on Friday before a decision on potential further suspension is taken.
The statement read, “Although the two jockeys remain presumed innocent, given the seriousness of the alleged facts, and the potential damage to racing's image…the directors of France Galop have issued an urgent precautionary measure of immediate suspension of [Boudot's] licence for the next two days.”
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