The British Horseracing Authority May 22 suspended jockey Eddie Ahern May 22 for 10 years after he was found to have committed multiple racing violations.
At the disciplinary hearing it was concluded that Ahern prevented his mount, Judgethemoment, from delivering his best run in a January 2011 race at Lingfield. The jockey received eight years for that violation. He was handed an additional two years for passing inside information along to owner and bettor Neil Clement, a former professional soccer player, on four occasions in 2010 and early 2011.
"A stopping ride, even of a horse unlikely to win, remains the cardinal sin that a jockey can commit," the panel said.
Clement received a suspension of 15 years and three months for his involvement with Ahern (the stopping ride on Judgethemoment and betting against Ahern horses on other occasions), as well as failing to cooperate with the investigation and betting against his own horse.