Champion jockey Oisin Murphy has been handed 14-month ban and fined £31,000 at the conclusion of a disciplinary case.
The current title holder on the Flat admitted five breaches of the rules of racing, the first of those “misleading or attempting to mislead the BHA regarding the destination of his travel in order to circumvent coronavirus restrictions” in 2020.
He failed to self-isolate after a trip to Mykonos and returned to the saddle after “deliberately providing incorrect information to access racecourses.”
Panel chairman James O'Mahony told him: "We conclude you thought you were above the rules, but they apply to all."
Murphy also agreed he breached the rules when he failed alcohol breath tests at racecourses on May 5 and October 8 last year.
During the hearing at the HQ of the British Horseracing Authority, the 26-year-old opened up about battling a drink problem as he dealt with the pressures of the sport.
Murphy told the panel his drinking had spiralled "out of control" and eventually he realised he needed to seek help.
The rider said various people pointed out the "slippery slope" of drinking alcohol and suggested he should focus on race-riding.
A former champion apprentice, Murphy revealed how initially he did not socialise much and could have a single glass of wine at dinner.
But that all changed in 2018 and the "first warning sign" he had about his drinking being a "little bit out of control" was when he was working in Hong Kong.
Ahead of Royal Ascot in 2019, months after he finished runner-up in the jockeys' championship, Murphy said he was not happy with how he was riding.
"The Saturday night before Ascot I stayed out in London until 2am in the morning, I had 8st 9lb the next day at Salisbury so I couldn't eat anything that night, but I did drink loads of champagne or however much I could drink," he said.
"I blew over (on the racecourse breathalyser) and that was the first time I really scared myself and that put me back on the right track."
Murphy won his first championship in 2019 and he said things got better for him with a spell abroad.
Then he described how in June 2020 he won the 2000 Guineas on Kameko and the socialising picked up.
He said his "heart sank" when he was told he gave a positive cocaine test in France that July.
The case heard how Murphy travelled to Mykonos, a Greek island, in September 2020, after he was given a seven-day ban for careless riding at Ayr.
Representing the BHA, Charlotte Davison said Murphy was "legally obliged" to isolate on his return, but he resumed race riding.
She said in the period he should have been sidelined he won 11 races – and went on to win the 2020 jockeys' championship by eight wins.
Murphy, who initially said he had been to Lake Como instead of Mykonos, kept up what he called a "trail of deception" until May 2021.
He was caught out by a post on Instagram which showed his real location.
On October 8 2021, he was stood down from racing at Newmarket after failing a breath test – and Murphy said that was a turning point.
He added: “Some jockeys deal with things by going home and playing the Playstation, I go home, watch all the replays, scrutinise everything and drink a bottle of wine or a bottle of vodka.
“I get up the next morning and ride out and no one really knew anything about it.”
Murphy, also champion on the Flat in 2019 and 2021, temporarily relinquished his licence last December to “focus on rehabilitation.”
The decision came just two months after he took his third title, only decided on the final day of the championship.
Murphy again faced a determined challenge from William Buick before lifting the trophy on QIPCO British Champions Day.
Murphy said he used alcohol to relax and to sleep at night.
"The Sunday after Goodwood I realised I’d blacked out every night. I knew it was an issue," he added.
"In the evening I could be capable of drinking one glass of wine or ten, and it took me until then (Newmarket) to realise my methods of dealing with pressure and reliance on alcohol."
Panel chairman James O'Mahony told Murphy that he would not be able to reapply for his licence until February 16, 2023.
The ban, backdated to December 8 2021, was accompanied by a fine totalling £31,111.
Mr O'Mahony said: "You knew all along that you had to self-isolate, that’s all you had to do, as countless others did.
"But you embarked on a deception that was planned, carefully calculated and detailed and it was prolonged for a significant period of time.
"You only put your hands up, with your back against the wall.”
