Breeding & Racing Magazine

Top French Jockey Banned After Fracas With Female Rider

Friday Odd Spot: Prominent French jockey Jean-Bernard Eyquem "has been banned for 3-weeks after an extraordinary incident involving a female rider after a minor event at Toulouse," reported racingpost.com. After winning the race on the Jean-Claude Rouget-trained Val D'Isere, Eyquem "was involved in an exchange of insults with Spanish rider Gloria Maduro-Parayre" (who finished 4th on 70-1 shot Libretrasto). The altercation "spilled over into the weighing room" & Eyquem reportedly followed Maduro-Parayre "into the female changing room to remonstrate with her". Eyquem was reported to stewards "who suspended him from March 28-April 17, while Maduro-Parayre also picked up an enforced holiday of 8-days". Eyquem told the media: "After passing the post, I was insulted & called something you cannot publish. I then went to where the girls change & took hold of her silks & just told the woman that it was the last time she would speak to me in that way; but in no way was there anything physical involved." Eyquem, 36, is currently 6th on the 2011 French jockey premiership (with 15 winners); last year he finished with 70 victories.