Jumps jockey Martin Kelly will be out of the saddle for 20 months after being disqualified for betting offences and giving false evidence to stewards.
At a Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board hearing on Wednesday, Kelly pleaded guilty to four charges issued by Racing Victoria stewards.
The most serious was for making, or having an interest in, four bets on races in which he rode.
The particulars of that charge were that in a race at Hamilton on May 30, 2016, Kelly made, or had and interest in, a bet of $25 on Shearer who he rode in the race and $25 on another horse in the same race, Gold Spur.
On June 5, 2016 he bet $21.01 on Arribos who he rode in a race at Warrnambool while on June 19 that year he had a $20 bet on Shearer who he rode in a race at Hamilton.
For those offences he was given a 16-month penalty.
He was also handed three month penalties for two other charges relating to numerous bets on thoroughbred races he was not riding in, but those penalties will be served concurrently with the 16-month disqualification.
He was handed another four-month disqualification, to be served cumulatively, for giving false or misleading evidence to stewards during interviews earlier this year when he told them the bets on thoroughbreds on his betting account were not placed by him but by Wayne Cuddihy.
A registered stable employee, Cuddihy has been disqualified for three months after being found guilty of giving false or misleading evidence.
Kelly won last season’s Tommy Corrigan Medal as the stand-out jumps rider in Victoria.
