THE BHA informed jockey Fergal Lynch on Wednesday that it has lifted the ban preventing him from riding in Great Britain and he has been granted permission to ride under BHA rules of racing as an overseas jockey, initially for a probationary period.
Lynch, 36, was banned from the sport for deliberately stopping 9-2 chance Bond City from winning a race at Ripon in August 2004 knowing racehorse owner Miles Rodgers had laid it to lose.
However, after the BHA received the receipt of an application from Lynch, together with extensive written submissions, and subsequent interviews with Lynch and his representatives, the ban has been lifted.
In an exclusive interview with the Racing Post on Monday, Lynch said: "I feel a great deal of remorse and regret about what I did and the shame still lingers.
"I know my reputation in British racing is in ruins and I want to try and repair it."
It appears Lynch will now get that chance to rebuild that shattered reputation but the BHA's decision to lift the ban is subject to on-going review and several conditions.
Lynch must participate in a BHA integrity education video and his first ride will be at a time and date agreed with BHA. He also has to participate in the on-going delivery of BHA education programmes and educational material. The BHA also reserves the right to withdraw the permission for Lynch to ride.
The proposed date for this return, subject to the first condition being satisfactorily delivered, is August 11 at Ayr.
Adam Brickell, director of integrity, legal and risk for BHA, said: "The decision to allow Fergal Lynch to return to riding in Great Britain was one which was not straightforward and one we gave a lot of consideration to. We were aware that we had to balance the reputation of the sport against assessment of the individual merits of his application.
"In this case we have reached the conclusion that it would be fair and reasonable to permit Lynch to ride in Britain, based on the merits of his case."
Brickell added: "Lynch has shown through his application and subsequent interviews that he has satisfactorily addressed the concerns raised by the licensing committee when it refused to grant him a British licence in 2011.
"It is now 10 years since Fergal Lynch committed those offences and he has paid a price for his mistakes. While the passage of time in its own right does not impact on such a decision, the manner in which Lynch has conducted himself in that period is important.
"Lynch has satisfied us during the course of his application that he has successfully reformed his character and that subject to the agreed conditions, he should be allowed the opportunity to race ride in Britain once again."
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