A prominent Group One-winning trainer, Jamie Osborne, has received a three-month suspension of his training licence, suspended for six months, following an incident last year where he took an unsolicited photograph of a woman’s ‘clothed bottom’ at a racecourse.
The 58-year-old was observed taking the photograph in the paddock before an evening race meeting last summer and was subsequently reported to stewards on the day.
Osborne initially denied the action but later admitted to taking the image when confronted, subsequently deleting it. He offered an apology to the woman, identified as ‘Person A’ in a disciplinary panel ruling published on Friday, who was attending the event with her partner, ‘Person B’.
The written reasons for a plea agreement between Osborne and the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) were released on Friday afternoon, detailing the sequence of events:
“On a single date in summer 2025 Mr Osborne was present at a racecourse in the parade ring for an evening meeting in his capacity as a licensed trainer and racehorse owner.
“He met Person A and her partner; Person B. Friendly conversation took place. Person A and Person B observed Mr Osborne taking photographs of Person A on his mobile phone including one photograph of her clothed bottom without her consent.
“A heated discussion ensued between Person B and Mr Osborne which drew the attention of a member of the racecourse staff, to whom Person B reported what he and Person A had witnessed.
“Mr Osborne initially denied taking any photographs and refused to show his telephone, however, he subsequently admitted that he had taken photographs and deleted them when he was asked to do so.
“He showed his telephone to Person A and Person B as he was doing this to confirm that the photographs had been deleted from his phone. Person A, Person B and the racecourse employee could see that at least one of the photographs was of Person A’s clothed bottom.
“Following receipt of advice regarding reporting of the incident, Person A and Person B made a report to the stewards and an inquiry took place the same evening in which all parties participated.
“Mr Osborne apologised for his actions and confirmed that any photographs had been permanently deleted. He was not asked by the stewards to give access to his telephone.
“The incident caused substantial embarrassment and upset to Person A and Person B. Each of them felt that the initial response of Mr Osborne was to seek to downplay the conduct, and both stated that they would not wish for any other participant in the sport of horseracing to have this happen to them, particularly a young woman. Both expressed the view that it was not conduct to be expected of a respected trainer in the industry.”
In a subsequent interview with the BHA three weeks later, Osborne disclosed that the image was intended for sharing within a WhatsApp chat group he belonged to, which bore the name ‘Great Bums’ or a similar title.
Beyond the suspended ban, Osborne has been mandated to make a £3,000 donation to racing charities, provide a written apology to Person A and Person B, and undertake several courses, including one focused on sexual harassment in the workplace.
