A Group 1-winning jockey has been handed one of the longest bans in Australian racing history after multiple female participants made allegations of sexual assault and harassment against him.
James Innes Jnr, who famously won the 2020 Doncaster Mile on fairytale horse Nettoyer at an empty Royal Randwick during the COVID era, has been disqualified for 25 years after a Racing NSW inquiry.
The staggering ban came after five females lodged complaints over multiple incidents, which were alleged to have occurred at a stable and a licensed premises.
Innes Jnr was stood down from riding by Racing NSW integrity officials last month. It was confirmed he had been hit with eight charges under the rules of racing, but the nature of the charges had been withheld.
Idol Horse can reveal the charges resulted in a hearing in which evidence was provided from the victims, who said they’d been the subject of sexual misconduct from the jockey.
He was found guilty of the charges and hit with a penalty which won’t expire until 2050, effectively ending any hope of him returning to the industry.
Innes Jnr has not appealed the findings or the penalty.
It’s understood the matter has been shared with police, but it’s unclear whether they will launch a separate investigation.
Innes Jnr was contacted for comment on Tuesday, but didn’t respond to calls or a text message.
Racing NSW declined to comment.
Innes Jnr hasn’t ridden since August 30 when he had two mounts at Kembla Grange.
The featherweight jockey has been a mainstay of the NSW and Canberra riding ranks, with his mounts amassing more than $13 million in prize money over the last decade, with two wins at Group 3 level to complement his career-defining success on Nettoyer.
At the peak of the COVID era, jockeys were forced to nominate where they preferred to ride – north, south or metropolitan – and Innes Jnr’s Doncaster win only came about when he selected the city, rather than his usual provincial and country tracks.
Innes Jnr returned to scale in tears after his win on Nettoyer, but was taken off the horse the for Glen Boss when it finished down the track in the Queen of the Turf the next week. ∎
