Top jockey Neil Callan’s social media use contained ‘inflammatory, disrespectful and discriminatory tones’, according to the official account of a disciplinary panel hearing.
Callan, 46, a senior rider who is a serving board member of the Professional Jockeys Association, was handed an eight month suspension and fined £1,500 on Monday over three breaches of racing’s integrity rules regarding conduct prejudicial to horse racing. Most of the hearing was held in camera when Callan and the panel reached a plea agreement but full details of the case against the jockey have now been released by the independent BHA judicial panel.
The charges against Callan, who has ridden more than 1,600 winners and spent eight successful years in Hong Kong, covered posts, reposts and comments on his X account between August 2023 and January 2024.
The first involved a reposting of a comment said to relate to BHA steward Anthony McGlone which read, “‘Does anyone known how many BHA Steward decisions have been turned over in the past few years! Can think of plenty to be honest! Is he fit for the job?”
In another post he appeared to question the justification for a Sunday fixture allotted to Arena Racing track Wolverhamption and in response to a reply wrote the words ‘Greased palms’ followed by emojis of upwards facing palms, a money bag, a racehorse, a Union Jack and the hashtag ‘#Greed’.
He also reposted a comment which described a Racing Post journalist as ‘part of the woke brigade’ then in a reply to a post about a Times article about Bryony Frost wrote, ‘‘If this was a young male jockey being bullied would it have the same coverage and attention?? I think not!! #saywhatevereveryoneelseisthinking’.
The BHA report of the hearing said: “Callan’s behaviour risked encouraging further social media abuse at a time when professionals within the sport sadly already receive far too much abuse and offensive commentary online.
“It is also of concern that Mr Callan chose to post inflammatory and misogynistic comments about the licenced jockey, who has already been the highly publicised victim of bullying behaviour at the hands of another male weighing room colleague.”
Callan, who was spoken to by the PJA, deleted the posts within 24 hours. He admitted breaching the rules, expressed remorse for his actions and had since made changes to his behaviour and use of social media.
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