Coyle has licence withdrawn Conditional jockey Tony Coyle has had his licence withdrawn for six months by the Jockey Club after he left a racecourse where he had been selected for a random drugs test. Coyle, 24, complained of feeling unwell before he left Lingfield on Friday, March 16th, without giving a sample. At a hearing in London today, the disciplinary committee found that Coyle had breached the rules in that he left Lingfield without providing a sample for analysis and without having requested or received an exemption from the local stewards. Having considered the evidence, including a statement from Coyle, who was legally represented, the committee accepted an admission from him that he had left the racecourse without seeking the necessary exemption from providing a sample. Coyle`s licence has been withdrawn from June 15th to December 14th. The suspension period included an element of deterrent to enforce the requirement on jockeys to provide a sample when selected for testing. The committee also informed Coyle that the issue of a new licence would be dependent upon his obtaining a satisfactory medical report from the Jockey Club Chief Medical Advisor. This is the first time since random testing was introduced in 1994 that a rider selected for a test has had to face the Jockey Club for evading it. Jockeys to have previously given positive samples include Sean McCarthy, Darren Salter, Philip Shea and David Walsh, who twice fell foul of the rules.
