Four bailed after assault on jockey Aidan Coleman

Four people have been arrested after jockey Aidan Coleman was assaulted in the weighing room at Southwell racecourse.

The calls for action were accompanied vows to beef up security by Southwell and a promise by the BHA to launch review over the incident which left Coleman nursing minor injuries, including two chipped teeth, and two men, who had been drinking alcohol, and the woman who accompanied them to Southwell being arrested.

“We will be reviewing procedures and increasing the security presence around the changing rooms and across the racecourse”, said Roberts.

He said that he did not believe Coleman was known to his attacker or singled out, adding: “I don’t think these guys knew anything much about racing”.

Coleman, who has since returned home and will now not race at Chepstow later today, told The Racing Post: “Two of them burst into the changing room and when they were asked to leave it all kicked off”.

Four people arrested following the assault were released on police bail on Wednesday. Southwell is owned by ARC, which says it already has such a policy in place across all its racecourses.

Initial suggestions the two men involved had forced a door to obtain access to the weighing room appear to have been wide of the mark.

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‘The victim sustained minor injuries. The safety of jockeys, as well as all visitors to our racecourse, is of paramount importance to us.

“The only comment I would make is to question why they were still on the racecourse in the state they were”.

Atkin said: “I think jockeys are entitled to view the weighing room as one of their inner sanctums, where they can be safe and allowed to get on with their business”.

Anyone with information about the incident should call police on 101, quoting incident 651 of September 29.

Witnesses to the incident were interviewed by the on-course stewards and the matter was referred to the British Horseracing Authority.