Struthers slams BHA after footage of Jacob incident is released

Paul Struthers has hit out at the BHA's decision to release a video showing the incident between Daryl Jacob and fellow jockey Noel George at Cheltenham last month, calling it a "petulant response".

Struthers, chief executive of the Professional Jockeys Association, has called for British racing's governing body to also release the footage of the racing incident which caused Grand National-winning rider Jacob to grab amateur jockey George by his silks and shout at him as the pair returned to unsaddle, with Jacob incensed by George's actions during the race.

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George had tried to pass Jacob up the inner in a handicap hurdle, taking his ground and arguably contributing to the incident just ahead of them in which Aidan Coleman was unseated.

The raceday stewards spoke to Jacob following the incident but did not pursue it any further. But the BHA then referred the matter to an independent disciplinary panel, and at a hearing this week Jacob was cautioned.

Jacob's solicitor, Rory Mac Neice, had branded the hearing "a total waste of time", with the panel happy Jacob's actions were out of concern for the safety of horses and his fellow riders.

On Friday, footage of Jacob and George's altercation was released, but Struthers took to Twitter to question the BHA's motives for doing so.

"I’m all for BHA releasing footage pertaining to disciplinary panel hearings and stewards' inquiries, indeed recommended it as part of PJA submission to stewarding review," he said.

"It's just a shame the first time they've chosen to do so is in a petulant response to a disciplinary panel verdict they disagree with and criticism from the jockey's solicitor."

Struthers suggested in other sports the incident would not have been pursued as vigorously, and added: "In rugby absolutely nothing would have happened.

"Even in football it would be a yellow card at worse. The stewards on the day saw it and dealt with it. Yet the BHA reopened it and suggested it should warrant four days or more.

"The disciplinary panel concluded, as submitted on Daryl Jacob's behalf by Rory Mac Neice that the context was important and that no penalty was warranted [though Daryl was effectively banned for a day as he couldn't ride Thursday].

"I therefore call on the BHA to release the side-on footage of the incident during the race that the disciplinary panel refers to in their reasons. It was, after all, very relevant to their decision."

The BHA's Robin Mounsey said: "The view of the BHA is that an incident which involves one rider forcefully grabbing another, while mounted, warrants at least an inquiry or disciplinary hearing. Daryl Jacob has had a fair hearing in front of an independent disciplinary panel."

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