Queensland jockeys cop big bans over white powder video

Two Queensland jockeys have been handed lengthy suspensions after a video surfaced on social media showing one of them using a white powder believed to be cocaine.

The Queensland Racing Integrity Commission (QRIC) stewards announced their findings this week, suspending Amy Graham for four months and Sophie Wilcock for three months over the incident, which they deemed damaging to the reputation of the sport.

Graham was found guilty of conduct detrimental to the image of racing and of failing to comply with stewards’ directions. During the inquiry, she admitted to using cocaine with friends at her home in November last year but claimed she was unaware she was being filmed and had not given consent for the recording.

Her legal team argued that the case should follow the precedent set in Jamie Kah’s (now Melham) matter, where the participant was found not guilty of bringing racing into disrepute due to a lack of knowledge of being filmed. However, stewards instead relied on the New South Wales case involving Glenn Pollett, which established that it is not necessary to prove actual damage to the industry’s reputation.

“It is sufficient that, viewed objectively, the conduct has a natural tendency to diminish public confidence in racing and that there is an element of public knowledge through publication or distribution,” the stewards said.

They further concluded, “On the evidence, Ms Graham was clearly identifiable in the video. The Stewards were satisfied that she was aware she was being filmed on a smart device. This distinguished the matter from Kah, where the participant was unaware that any recording or dissemination would occur.”

The inquiry also determined that portions of Graham’s evidence were “deliberately and intentionally untrue.” She received a four-month suspension for the first charge and two months for the second, to be served concurrently. With the penalty backdated to September 14, she will be eligible to return to race riding on January 14.

Fellow rider Sophie Wilcock was found to have provided false and misleading evidence regarding the incident, specifically denying her own use of cocaine — a claim disproved by video evidence. She was suspended for three months and, after time served, can resume riding on January 2.

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