BHA: Oisin Murphy required to meet ‘incredibly strict conditions’ after drink-driving conviction

The British Horseracing Authority says it is working to produce a set of “incredibly strict conditions” with Oisin Murphy following his conviction for drink-driving.

Murphy, 29, was fined £70,000 and banned from driving for 20 months having pleaded guilty to one count of driving a motor vehicle while over the prescribed limit of alcohol.

Murphy was able to ride while awaiting his hearing and then subsequently, and Brant Dunshea, acting chief executive of the BHA, addressed the issue on ITV Racing.

He said: “Matters around licensing are personal in nature and every individual has different challenges. When it comes to licensing we maintain a private relationship with individuals.

“There will be times when we have to deal with certain issues in a different way and not only to address issues that have emerged like in Oisin’s situation, but also to support individuals who might be dealing with a whole range of challenges.

“What has occurred, which has been reported and Oisin has spoken about that, is below the standard we would expect in terms of British racing.

“But, importantly, we make every effort to protect and enhance the safety of our jockeys and our horses. As a consequence between heavy engagement between Oisin and our team, we’re going through a process at the moment of agreeing a set of incredibly strict conditions and this will include enhanced testing both on the racecourse and away from the racecourse.

“To be very clear, the BHA weren’t given access to the information in relation to the criminal proceedings up until the full details were given in court. These matters are not in our jurisdiction so the information we were dealing with was limited.

“We’ve had face-to-face sessions with Oisin and we are working to come up with a set of conditions that not only ensures we’re protecting the integrity of British racing and the safety of our people, but also in a way that ensures Oisin gets the support and help he might need to deal with his issues.”