Harry Bentley suspended for two months and fined £32,000 after pleading guilty to improper conduct in Hong Kong

Harry Bentley has been suspended for two months and fined HK$300,000 (£31,379/€35,935) after pleading guilty to improper conduct, having passed on information about the horses he was riding in exchange for potential financial reward.

Bentley, 31, was charged with one breach of the rules of racing in Hong Kong relating to his interactions with an unnamed individual, who provided the rider with a private phone for sending on information he had gleaned about horses from participating in trackwork, barrier trials and races.

Mystery had surrounded the rider, who relocated to Hong Kong in April 2021, after he was stood down from riding in races, barrier trials and trackwork on November 3 by Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) officials. Two lengthy days of hearings followed before the rider was charged last week.

On Monday, Bentley pleaded guilty to improper conduct, with stewards detailing in their report that he had engaged in "inappropriate communication" about horses he was riding with "persons" not associated with the horses.

This was done via a private phone provided to Bentley by the unnamed persons with the agreement of a payment in return from one of the individuals. In addition, Bentley was found to have provided "false or misleading statements" when interviewed by HKJC officials on October 31.

Stewards said Bentley's guilty plea, previously clean disciplinary record and the fact the payment he had agreed to receive had not been taken were all considered when determining his suspension, which runs until January 3, 2024.

In a statement, HKJC chief steward Marc van Gestel said: "In the circumstances, Mr Bentley's jockey licence to ride in races was suspended for a period of two months to commence on Friday, November 3, 2023, the day he was stood down by the stewards under Rule 12 (15), and to expire on Wednesday, January 3, 2024. In addition, Mr Bentley was fined a sum of HK$300,000."

Bentley was approached by the Racing Post for comment.

Bentley is the third rider to receive a significant suspension from Hong Kong stewards this year after Britain's former champion jockey Silvestre de Sousa and fellow Brazilian Victor Borges were banned in May for ten and 12 months respectively. This was due to De Sousa assisting Borges in placing a bet on a horse he was riding.

Before his suspension, Bentley had made a strong start to the Hong Kong season with seven winners, earning HK$9,234,075 (£965,505) in total prize-money. Last season, Bentley rode 25 winners, earning HK$42,868,975 (£4.5m) in prize-money.

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