Group One-winning jockey James Innes Jnr has been handed one of the longest bans in racing history after being found guilty of sexual assault and harassment by Racing NSW.
The governing body disqualified Innes Jnr for 25 years after five women made complaints over multiple incidents alleged to have occurred at a stable and a licensed premises.
Innes Jnr, 30, was stood down last month after being hit with eight charges under the rules of racing, but Racing NSW would not explain the nature of its investigation at the time.
Alleged victims gave evidence in a hearing and said they had been the subject of sexual misconduct by Innes Jnr.
He was found guilty and rubbed out of the sport until 2050 – effectively ending a riding career that produced 311 winners.
Innes Jnr has not appealed the findings or the penalty – and did not respond to a request for comment by Daily Mail.
James Innes Jnr returns to scale after winning the 2020 Doncaster Mile aboard Nettoyer.
Innes Jnr celebrates with Nettoyer’s trainers Wendy Roche after winning the prestigious Doncaster Mile.
The matter has been shared with police, but it is unknown if they will launch a separate investigation.
Racing NSW was also contacted for comment and the governing body has not yet released details about the matter.
Innes Jnr rode many of his winners at Canberra, Kembla Grange and Gosford while Rosehill was his most successful city track.
The career highlight for Innes Jnr was winning the 2020 Group One Doncaster Mile on $41 chance Nettoyer at Randwick for trainer Wendy Roche.
His mounts have amassed more than $13 million in prize money since he rode in his first race on the Sapphire Coast in 2014.
The disqualification is believed to be one of the longest given to a jockey, outside of a life ban, in Australia.
Racing has been littered with all types of jockey bans in its history, from Damien Oliver’s eight-month suspension for betting $10,000 on a horse he was riding against in a race in 2010 to Mel Schumacher’s life ban – later reduced to just under six years – for the infamous ‘leg-pull’ incident in the 1961 AJC Derby at Randwick.
Toowoomba jockey Jason Warrington tried to use a dildo to transfer urine into a sample for collection by stewards in 2007.
Innes Jnr had ridden more than 300 winners before his monster 25-year ban
Innes Jnr has not appealed the lengthy ban for sexual misconduct
He had smoked marijuana at a weekend party and was worried about returning a positive result.
Acting chief steward John Hackett became suspicious of Warrington and caught him squeezing urine from a dildo concealed inside his pants.
He copped a six-month ban.
