Robbie Dunne threatened fellow jockey Bryony Frost, inquiry is told

Robbie Dunne denies claims he harassed and bullied Bryony Frost

Jockey Robbie Dunne threatened to cause fellow rider Bryony Frost serious physical harm, a disciplinary panel has been told.

Dunne, 36, is facing an inquiry after Frost , 26, claimed he bullied her.

He has admitted one breach of the rules by behaving in a violent or improper manner towards Frost at Southwell on 3 September 2020.

But he denies similar charges at Stratford on 8 July and Uttoxeter on 17 August 2020, and also denies bullying and harassing her between 12 February and 3 September.

He is accused of conduct prejudicial to the good reputation of horse racing.

Louis Weston, representing the British Horseracing Authority, said the inappropriate behaviour went back four years and included an incident where he stood naked in front of her in the men's changing room.

He would mock and tease her, said Weston, including over her description of her horse Frodon being "like Pegasus" after he won the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in 2019.

At Leicester in February 2020, it was claimed he rode in a deliberately intimidating way towards her, before five months later launching into a foul-mouthed tirade as he accused her of riding dangerously during a race at Stratford.

"If you ever murder [cut across] me like that again, I will murder you," he allegedly said.

At Southwell, the inquiry was told Dunne angrily confronted Frost in the weighing room after his mount Cillian's Well suffered a fatal fall, saying: "The next time I ride against you, I promise I will put you through a wing [the side of a fence]."

Weston said: "No proper regulator could allow such conduct to go unchallenged.

"The sport is dangerous enough without someone deliberately coming after you."

Dunne has accepted he "had words" with Frost after the Southwell race and said she was a careless and dangerous rider, but denies some of the language used and other misconduct.

He received a phone call four days later from someone threatening to break his legs and said as a new father, the case - and leaks to the media of details - had caused upset and hardship for his family.

The hearing started on Tuesday, with five additional days potentially set aside and Frost set to give evidence on Wednesday.

Frost, who became the first female jockey to win the King George VI Chase at Kempton last December on Frodon, first alluded to difficulties she was facing following her victory in the race, having lodged a complaint with the BHA.

Weston said Dunne felt he was obliged to tell younger riders where they could learn.

"The clear position in the mind of Mr Dunne is that he can tell them what he thinks they have done wrong. This is a recipe for bullying," he said.