Jockey apologises after being handed one-month ban for taking sleeping tablet

01 March 2024 , 16:37

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Jason Watson has been banned for one month (Image: PA)

A Group 1-winning jockey has apologised to racing officials and his employers for picking up a one-month ban for a failed drugs test.

Jason Watson, the champion apprentice in Britain in 2018, has been working in Bahrain during the winter, where he has ridden seven winners.

But he will be out of action until the day of the Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster on March 23 after he tested positive for a notifiable substance.

Watson was picked out for random sampling before racing at a meeting last month but failed to declare that he had taken medication and rode on the day.

He owned up after the test returned a positive finding and was suspended by the stewards and fined £400. The ban will also apply in Britain.

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Watson released a statement through the Professional Jockeys’ Association in which he apologised to Bahrain’s racing bodies and officials.

“In my seven years of riding on a global stage this is the first time I have ever fallen foul of the jockey testing rules," he said. “I was suffering from insomnia and was offered, and took, what I thought to be an over-the-counter sleeping tablet. It was a completely innocent mistake but a moment of significant misjudgement.

“Although not a class A drug, I understand that taking a prescription drug, even though I thought it was an over-the-counter medication, is a serious matter.

“As my drug testing record proves, I am usually incredibly cautious about what I put into my body and won’t be making the same mistake again. “

Jon Lees