Have Your Say on Racing

More than 20 jockeys walked out of Leicester racecourse on Monday in protest at a controversial ban on the use of mobile telephones.

A similar protest took place at the Hamilton Park track in Scotland.

Under new Jockey Club legislation, riders are not allowed to make calls in the weighing room because officials fear they could be passing on inside information to punters.

But the restrictions, brought in to stamp out corruption in the sport, have upset the likes of champion jockey Kieren Fallon and Richard Hills, who claim their integrity is being questioned.

Q&A: Jockey's view

They were among the jockeys who left the Leicester track in protest after the first race only to return a short while later to carry on riding.

Hills told BBC Five Live: "We haven't done anything wrong and have been treated like children.

"Hopefully, we can sit down and sort it out with the Jockeys' Association and the Jockey Club."

Under original guidelines, riders would not be allowed to use their own mobile phone anywhere on the racecourse from half an hour before the first race until the start of the last.

The only access to a phone would have been from the weighing room security officer, who can authorise the use of a Jockey Club mobile for outgoing calls.

But the Jockey Club introduced "interim amendments", which include allowing jockeys to check for messages during racing in a designated area.

Club senior steward Julian Richmond-Watson said: "The Jockey Club has no wish to unnecessarily inconvenience the jockeys.

"But we consider the introduction of an effective restriction on the use of jockeys' phones to be both necessary and proportionate."