CHAMPION jockey Oisin Murphy is set to continue his racing career under “incredibly strict” conditions following his recent conviction for drink-driving.
Murphy was fined £70,000 and banned from driving for 20 months by Reading Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to driving while over the legal alcohol limit.
The incident occurred in April near his home in Berkshire, where Murphy’s car hit a tree.
A breath test administered by police nearly seven hours later revealed he was almost twice the legal limit.
The £70,000 penalty ranks among the highest ever issued for a drink-driving offence in Britain.
Despite the gravity of the case, Murphy continued riding shortly after the crash and remains a big figure in British racing.
At the time of the July Festival in Newmarket, he led the 2025 Flat Jockeys’ Championship by 20 wins.
However, since the court hearing, his form has dipped—failing to secure a win from 21 rides, including a blank six-race card at Newmarket on Thursday.
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA), keen to protect both the integrity of the sport and the welfare of its participants, has announced that Murphy’s riding licence will be subject to a new set of rigorous conditions.
Brant Dunshea, the BHA’s acting chief executive, said in a statement that these measures will include enhanced testing both on and off the racecourse.
“We’re working to come up with a set of conditions that not only ensures we’re protecting the integrity and reputation of British racing and the safety of our horses and people,” Dunshea said on ITV Racing, “but also that we’re doing it in a way that ensures that Oisin gets the support and help that he might need to deal with his issues.”
This is not Murphy’s first brush with disciplinary action.
In 2021, he received a 14-month suspension for multiple breaches of racing regulations, including failing pre-race breath tests, breaking Covid travel restrictions and misleading racing authorities.
He returned to competitive racing in February 2023 under previously imposed licensing conditions.