Hawick jockey Greg Fairley glad to be back in saddle after 14 years out following racing ban
Hawick jockey Greg Fairley has told of his delight at getting back on track this week after almost a decade and a half away from mainstream horse-racing.
Fairley made his comeback at Ayr’s meeting on Monday, 14 years on from being given a 12-year ban for deliberately losing a race as part of a betting scam described at the time as Britain’s biggest ever.
The 37-year-old, 2007’s champion British apprentice jockey, followed up getting his licence back by riding Superior Council for trainer Iain Jardine, formerly based in Hawick but now at Carrutherstown in Dumfries and Galloway, in a six-furlong handicap.
Fairley, living in Selkirk these days and working as a tree-surgeon alongside riding for Jardine twice a week and now and again for Mark and Charlie Johnston’s North Yorkshire yard, could only manage an eighth-placed finish in a field of 16 vying for a top prize of £4,187 but he’s happy enough just to be back in the saddle after so long out and he’s now hoping to build on that return to racing.
“It was really good to be back again,” he said. “It felt a wee bit strange after so long but once I actually walked into the weighing room, I didn’t feel nervous at all or anything.
“The only time I really felt nervous was in the morning when I was riding out in the build-up, but once I got there, I soon settled down and just enjoyed it more than anything.
“The ride went as well as could be expected. We just didn’t have that little bit extra at the end. It was a good first ride back – obviously it wasn’t the fairy-tale but it was just good to be back.
“Hopefully I can now get an agent sorted out and the rides will start coming. I’ll be trying my hardest to get things going again.
“The thought was always in my head that maybe the chance to race wouldn’t come back around but I stuck at it and now I’ve got this second chance, so I want to grab it with two hands and hopefully I can still do it.
“As long as things go to plan, I’ll be riding for as long as my body lets me.”
Fairley’s been overwhelmed by the backing he’s been given since getting his licence back, saying: “I can’t get over the amount of messages I’ve support I’ve had and the number of people who’ve got in touch to wish me luck.
“You don’t realise there are so many people out there rooting for you. That was really nice.”
Fairley’s 4/1 second-favourite, a six-year-old bay gelding, was one of four runners being ridden by fellow Hawick jockeys – the others being Rowan Scott on Back Tomorrow for Ewan Whillans’ Hawick yard, Jason Hart on Fallen Soldier for North Yorkshire trainers John and Sean Quinn and Rhys Elliott on Due Respect for Camptown’s Gary Rutherford – and Selkirk trainer Katie Scott was also represented, by Baby Rover, with Joanna Mason in the saddle.
First place went to Perth and Kinross trainer Lucinda Russell’s South Road at 40/1, with Kevin Stott riding, with Baby Rover as runner-up, 5/2 favourite Due Respect seventh, Back Tomorrow 14th and Fallen Soldier 15th.
Fairley’s ban was imposed after being convicted of preventing the Staffy from obtaining the best possible placing in a race at Wolverhampton in March 2009 and breaching rules by taking part in a conspiracy to pass on inside information involving ten others also handed suspensions ranging from six months to 14 years.
His suspension expired in December 2023 but he was allowed to return to non-racing jobs at trainer Sandy Thomson’s Kelso yard two years prior to that after having his disqualification partly lifted.
Thanking racing licensing officials for giving him another chance, Fairley issued a statement saying: “15 years ago, I chose a path that was wrong and paid a justifiably significant price for my poor decisions.
“I’m incredibly grateful to the licensing committee of the BHA for giving me a second chance.
“I would also like to thank Sandy Thomson, Iain Jardine and Charlie and Mark Johnston, who have all been very supportive.”