Champion-chasing jockey Oisin Murphy was prevented from riding at Salisbury on Sunday after failing a breathalyser test, just days before the start of Royal Ascot. The 23-year-old missed five rides, including a winner on Tribal Craft, which was taken by David Probert.
Murphy started the day leading the Flat Jockeys Championship with 45 winners, but his lead was cut to nine after Silvestre De Sousa won on Praxeology. The positive sample will be subject to a British Horseracing Authority (BHA) disciplinary inquiry.
Under BHA rules, being prevented from riding on the day is the penalty for a first-offence, low-level breach of alcohol limits. If a jockey's sample shows alcohol at 39 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath or higher, a ban of 28 to 60 days can be imposed. Racing's alcohol test is stricter than the national drink-driving limit.
Murphy, who could not be contacted for comment, is expected to return to action on Monday at Windsor, and his Royal Ascot programme remains unaffected. He has six rides on the first day of the meeting, including Guildsman in the Coventry Stakes.
