BHA integrity boss Tim Naylor urges calm over 'inflamed tempers'

Racing needs to step back from using "inflammatory language" and attempt to enact positive change within the sport after the war of words which erupted between the governing body and jockeys in the aftermath of Robbie Dunne being banned for 18 months for bullying Bryony Frost.

That was the verdict of Tim Naylor, the BHA’s director of integrity and regulation, who said all within racing, including the BHA, had rejected the notion the weighing room was "rancid" and agreed the behaviour Frost was subjected to by Dunne was "not acceptable".

The Professional Jockeys Association (PJA) reacted furiously on Thursday to words used by the BHA’s legal counsel in closing arguments, with individual jockeys, including the PJA’s jumps president David Bass, calling the BHA an "absolute disgrace" for the use of the words "rancid and sour" when referring to weighing-room culture.

Naylor, speaking on Luck On Sunday, said: "What [BHA legal counsel Louis Weston] said was if it's acceptable to use [abusive and misogynistic] language, then that culture is rancid. He didn't declare the culture was rancid and the BHA certainly doesn't do that.

"The point is that, in fact, it's not acceptable [to behave that way]. The panel has found that, PJA has said that, Richard Johnson himself said in the cold light of day that sort of misogynistic language isn’t acceptable, so, in fact, the weighing-room culture isn't rancid.

"It's very important actually, that we all step back from this sort of situation whereby tempers are inflamed, and from this inflammatory language because the point wasn't that the culture is rancid.

"That's the important point now because the culture is not rancid, because we've called out that behaviour. We have said it's wrong, it's not acceptable."

Paul Struthers: the BHA will hold talks with the PJA chief executive about what the next steps will be for racingCredit: Edward Whitaker

Naylor said the case had been "incredibly important" and that the issues raised were met "head on" by holding the case publicly, adding that discussions would take place with the PJA and its chief executive Paul Struthers about what the next steps would be for racing.

Naylor also acknowledged the case took a long time to be brought before a judicial panel and that the BHA would look to see what improvements could be made, but he dismissed questions around the competency of the investigation.

"I don't believe that there were mistakes made during the course of the investigation," he said. "There are always things that could be done better, and should have been done perhaps differently.

"My team worked incredibly hard and in difficult circumstances and did their best to inquire into a complaint which was difficult to unravel because of its very nature."

Naylor added that he hoped racing would react positively to the result of the case and that people would feel comfortable to come forward with any complaints.

"What I hope going forward is we can embed a culture of respect in the weighing room and in racing so that we don't have a lot of these cases coming forward, but, if we do, people feel comfortable to report, and not just people who have been the victim of this sort of misconduct but other people who have witnessed it," he said.

Read more:

PJA chief accepts Bryony Frost was bullied rather than 'felt bullied'

Ruby Walsh: 'At times somebody has to tell someone else to sit down and shut up'

BHA chief rejects 'rancid' picture of weighing room but says racing must change

'Absolute disgrace' – jockeys' body slams BHA over weighing room claims

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