20-YEAR BAN FOR BROWNE

Former jockey and trainer Dermot Browne was banned for a further 20 years at a hearing of the Jockey Club`s disciplinary committee on Thursday.

He was first warned off by the Jockey Club in 1992 after he was found guilty of selling information to a bookmaker and has not been seen at a racecourse in Britain since.

But his 10-year-ban officially lapsed last month when an interim suspension was imposed.

He appeared at Portman Square today in relation to allegations that in 1990 he doped horses between August 3 and September 20.

Browne was not surprised at the outcome.

He said: 'It`s more or less what I expected.

'I came here today to draw this to an end. It`s something that has been going on a long time.

'Everything is straight forward. I breached the Rules of Racing and I admitted that.

'There are an awful lot of very hard working and honest people in racing.

'I got involved with some of the wrong ones. Sadly there are still some out there now.'

Browne, theson of leading Irish trainer Liam Browne, was champion amateur jumps jockey in 1981-82 and the following season. He lost his licence to train in October 1990 when the number of horses in his yard failed to reach the statutory minimum.

He had only been granted his first full licence at the beginning of the year.

Browne rode regularly for former champion jumps trainer Michael Dickinson and was associated with many good horses, including leading hurdler Browne`s Gazette.

He also played his part in the history-making 1983 Cheltenham Gold Cup when Dickinson saddled the first five horses home. Browne rode the fifth Ashley House.