Following the decision of the Disciplinary Panel not to reciprocate the 56 day suspension imposed upon Martin Dwyer by the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC), Jamie Stier, Director of Raceday Operations and Regulation for the BHA, said:

“As signatories to the International Agreement the BHA’s starting point is to recognise the principle of reciprocation of penalties incurred by British riders abroad. However, this is in the expectation that the individual is afforded the tenets of natural justice.

“In this particular case, it was our view that these basic principles were not upheld by the RWITC and this was reflected in the BHA’s presentation to the Disciplinary Panel.

“Consequently, the BHA supports the decision of the Disciplinary Panel not to reciprocate the suspension imposed by the RWITC on Martin Dwyer.

“It was the BHA’s view that there were a number of areas during the process which fell short of being demonstrably fair and were not in accordance with the principles of natural justice. One such example being the decision of the RWITC stewards to make a finding that Ice Age had not been run on her merits and declare her a non-runner, before conducting an enquiry and hearing from Martin Dwyer.

“We will be sharing with the RWITC the concerns the BHA set out to the Disciplinary Panel.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The Disciplinary Panel’s written reasons for their decision will be published in due course.

2. BHA’s Rules on reciprocity are clear and reflect those recommended by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) for best practice in such circumstances. The appeal process in the jurisdiction issuing the penalty had to be exhausted before an application not to reciprocate could be considered.

3. The Rules regarding jockeys or amateur riders being suspended by a recognised Racing Authority can be found here: http://rules.britishhorseracing.com/Orders-and-rules&staticID=126235&depth=3

4. The IFHA’s International Agreement, including Article 10, can be found here: http://www.horseracingintfed.com/resources/2013_choose_eng.pdf

For more information contact:

Robin Mounsey
British Horseracing Authority
t:02071520048
m:07584171551
e: [email protected]