Hayley lands three-month ban for betting
HAYLEY TURNER has described a three-month suspension for breaking jockey betting rules while she was largely acting as a TV pundit as a ‘bitter pill to swallow’. Britain’s best known and most successful female jockey placed 164 bets with stakes ranging from £5 to £100 and made an overall profit of £160 on an account opened in her own name with bookmaker Paddy Power. The account was opened on December 17, 2015, a month after Turner had ‘retired’ and the last bet was placed on July 8 this year. During that period Turner had concentrated on a career in the media, working for ITV and dedicated racing channel At the Races until she announced a more serious return to the saddle in August. But during that period she still held a jockey’s licence. The BHA conceded that Turner’s bets had not involved any threats to integrity or been linked to any particular jockey or trainer. But the independent disciplinary panel rejected a plea from her legal representative Rory Mac Neice to impose a fine rather than a ban or suspension. Panel chairman Patrick Milmo QC acknowledged Turner’s contributions to the sport and the work she had done in furthering the cause of female riders but said she had demonstrated a ‘lax and complacent attitude to the rules’. Turner said: ‘When I was actively riding I would never have bet. When I was doing media work, in my head I was not a jockey. ‘I have never had a bet on my own horse or in a race I was riding in. ‘I accept there has to be some sort of punishment, but three months is quite harsh. ‘It is a bitter pill to swallow but I will get my head around it. If you are doing part-time riding and other stuff, the rules still apply so learn from my mistakes everybody.’ Turner, 34, has committed to take part in educational films for jockeys made by the Professional Jockeys Association. However, the suspension means Turner will be unable to continue riding in France this winter. She retains the support of ITV and hopes to keep riding when her suspension ends in March. Turner added: ‘I am riding well and I have got the bug back which I had lost, which is why I retired in the first place.’