Former British Jockey Brock Faces Disciplinary Hearings

Danny Brock is set to appear at a disciplinary hearing Dec. 14 over the alleged breaches of four rules, including relaying inside information and not riding horses to achieve their best possible placings.

The former jockey, who has not ridden since receiving a 30-day ban for a series of whip offenses in July 2021, faces a BHA (British Horseracing Authority) independent disciplinary panel in a hearing scheduled to last three days.

The panel will consider whether Brock breached the rules relating to the communication of inside information, was involved in corrupt or fraudulent practices in relation to racing, and repeatedly failed to ride horses on their merits and also to achieve the best possible placings.

Five other individuals, Sean McBride, Andrew Perring, Eugene Maloney, Luke Olley, and Luke Howells, face allegations over involvement in corrupt or fraudulent practices in relation to racing.

The case involves nine all-weather races from December 2018-September 2019, one at Kempton Park, one at Southwell Racecourse, two at Lingfield Park, and five at Chelmsford City Racecourse. Seven involved Mochalov, who Brock rode eight times, winning once and finishing second twice.

He won the last of the nine races aboard Resurrected in September 2019 and the stewards inquired into the apparent improvement of the winner, who was backed into 10-1 despite not being placed on her three previous starts. Her trainer Charlie McBride said the filly had benefited from the drop in trip and that the yard was in better form.

Brock was fined £140 (US$147) for marking Resurrected during the six-furlong contest after stewards discovered the rider had used a whip with two elastic bands attached. This led to an outcry on social media and the jockey said he felt his career was over after receiving death threats.

An independent disciplinary panel replaced the fine with a seven-day suspension and found the elastic bands had been left on the whip in error. Brock stated they were used to hold his whips together in his kit bag. Before publishing its written reasons after the case, the BHA announced it would review penalties for the use of modified whips.

Brock recorded three winners from 38 rides in 2021 and enjoyed his best season in 2014, when he partnered 27 winners from 218 rides.