French jockey Boudot charged with rape

Leading French jockey Pierre-Charles Boudot was arrested and indicted on a rape charge this week, according to multiple reports in overseas publications.

Boudot was arrested Monday and interviewed two days by French law-enforcement authorities before an indictment was issued Wednesday charging Boudot with the rape of a female work rider in February. The alleged rape took place the night of Feb. 17 following a party in Cagnes-Sur-Mer, a Mediterranean town just west of Nice. France-Galop, French horse racing’s ruling body, suspended Boudot for two days this week pending further investigation. Boudot was released on bail.

Boudot, 28, was France’s leading flat jockey in 2020, the third year he has achieved that distinction. In November at Keeneland, he rode two Breeders’ Cup winners, Australia in the BC Mile and Audarya in the BC Filly and Mare Turf.