Oisin Murphy: Champion jockey banned until February 2023 for Covid and alcohol breaches

Champion jockey Oisin Murphy has been banned for 14 months after admitting breaching coronavirus protocols, misleading the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and prejudicial conduct, plus two alcohol breaches.

Murphy, 26, admitted all charges at an independent judiciary panel on Tuesday.

The suspension is backdated to 8 December as Murphy gave up his licence to seek support when he was charged.

It means he cannot reapply for his licence until 16 February, 2023.

Murphy faced five charges, two relating to failed tests for alcohol in May and October last year and separate counts of misleading or attempting to mislead the BHA over his location from 9-12 September 2020, as well as accessing a racecourse in breach of Covid protocols and acting in a way that prejudiced the reputation of horseracing.

The Irishman had gone on holiday between 9-12 September 2020 to the Greek island of Mykonos, which was on the Covid red-list at the time, but he had attempted to convince officials he had been at Lake Como in Italy.

He was given three 11-month suspensions for the two Covid breaches and conduct prejudicial to the reputation of the sport, all to run concurrently, along with a £31,111 fine.

He was also given 10 days for a positive alcohol test at Chester on 5 May and a further 90 days for another positive recorded at Newmarket on 8 October — his second and third breaches within the allotted time period to trigger a lengthy ban.

Murphy was banned for three months in November 2020 after testing positive for cocaine, although investigators did not contest his claim that he had ingested the drug accidentally via a sexual encounter with a user.