David Hickin, a 37-year-old stable hand, has been handed a 32-month ban for serious sexual misconduct by a BHA disciplinary panel. Hickin admitted the charges brought against him in a case involving three women, referred to as Persons A, B, and C, during a period from May to July 2025. The most serious breaches of the BHA Code of Conduct related to Person A and occurred within a single day.
Hickin had worked in racing for 20 years, rising to the position of travelling head lad. In 2021, he led up the Mark Johnston-trained Gold Cup winner Subjectivist at Royal Ascot. He was employed elsewhere when the incidents of sexual misconduct took place.
Specific incidents against Person A included making sexual references, touching without consent, attempting to hug and pick her up, wrapping his legs around her, watching her change, unclipping her bra, and posting inappropriate social media comments. Hickin was also accused of abusing his position by pressuring Person A not to report his behavior.
It remains unclear what specific penalties or legal consequences, beyond the 32-month ban, Hickin faces for his admitted sexual misconduct. His current employment status or whereabouts following the ban have not been disclosed, and the identities and current conditions of the three women involved in the case are unknown.
At the Cheltenham Festival, jockey Charlie Deutsch has been banned and fined for using his whip nine times, two more than allowed, during the Grand Annual Chase. Deutsch's seven-day ban was doubled to 14 days due to the class of the race, and he was fined £1,550 by the BHA. Conor Stone-Walsh was suspended for eight days for using his whip once above the permitted level in the same race, while Caoilin Quinn was punished for a whip offence in the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase, with his ban reduced from eight to four days due to having over 150 rides since his last breach.
Harry Skelton and Patrick Mullins were banned for careless riding at the Cheltenham Festival, with Skelton receiving a three-day ban and Mullins a two-day suspension. Conor Stone-Walsh was handed a two-day suspension for careless riding after the same race at the festival. Stone-Walsh allowed his mount Iceberg Theory to drift left-handed towards the rail when insufficiently clear of Donagh Meyler and Backersackme, causing interference. A stewards' inquiry found that Stone-Walsh's actions resulted in Meyler taking a check and Sam Twiston-Davies also having to take a slight check against the rail.
Harel Du Marais switched off well and he was able to be more handy than usual, challenging for the lead too soon but staying there once ahead.
Billy Loughnane has lodged an appeal against a 21-day ban for riding a horse back to the unsaddling enclosure after it was scratched from a race on vets' orders. If his appeal is unsuccessful, Loughnane will be suspended from 9 April to 30 April, missing the Craven meeting and Greenham Stakes meeting.
Other jockey suspensions for whip and riding offenses include Patrick O'Brien, who was disqualified after striking his horse 11 times during a finish at the Grand National Festival, leading to Laafi being disqualified. Sam Burton, an amateur jockey, received a 20-day suspension and had his horse disqualified for using the whip five times above the permitted level. Toby McCain-Mitchell was handed a 10-day suspension for failing to pull up his tired horse before it fell at the final fence in the Grand National, and Callum Pritchard was banned for 12 days after misjudging the winning post and easing up his horse with a circuit left to run at Plumpton.
Jockey Jack Andrews has been suspended for 12 days for taking the wrong course at Stratford-on-Avon. Andrews was riding Xcitations in a 2m1f handicap chase at Stratford-on-Avon and was in the lead before making an error by mistakenly bypassing the water jump at the fifth fence. It had been agreed beforehand that fence six would be omitted for chase races at Stratford-on-Avon, and Andrews got mixed up and pulled up his mount soon after realising his mistake. The stewards' inquiry found that Andrews failed to jump the water jump and subsequently pulled the gelding up.
Harel Du Marais, ridden by James Bowen, was the eventual winner by three and a quarter lengths at Stratford-on-Avon. Jack Andrews is known as the tallest jockey in the world, standing at six feet and four inches, and has to follow a strict diet to maintain his weight due to his height.
Danny Gilligan will serve a one-day suspension for misconduct at the start of a race at the Cheltenham Festival, causing a false start. Gilligan failed to walk or jog-jog at the second attempt to initiate the start, causing a further false start. Gilligan and Will Do finished 11th in the race, while Nicky Henderson's Holloway Queen, ridden by James Bowen, won.
Kiaan Watts, a New Zealand cyclist, has been handed a 25-day ban by the UCI for punching a fellow competitor during a race.
The outcome of Billy Loughnane's appeal against his 21-day ban is pending, and further details about Kiaan Watts' incident remain unknown.