Who is Robbie Dunne? From struggling conditional to weighing room 'enforcer'

As the charges against Robbie Dunne mounted up, he was described by the BHA's barrister Louis Weston as a "self-appointed enforcer" in the weighing room. When he arrived in Britain after his freelance career in Ireland had stalled, however, he was simply another young rider looking for his big break.

Dunne was born in Dublin and taught himself to ride on ponies in a field next door, encouraged in his ambitions by an uncle who trained point-to-pointers. He showed promise enough to persuade him (if persuasion were needed) to leave school at the age of 15 and head for the Irish racing school in Kildare, as a result of which he was seconded to the high-profile yard of Dermot Weld and later continued his turf education with Arthur Moore and Michael O'Brien.

Having ridden his first winner in February 2005 – in a Downpatrick maiden hurdle on Jeremy Maxwell's Maswaly – he looked to be heading in the right direction, with his seasonal tallies rising slowly but surely, to a princely seven in 2008-09.

From then on, however, his star in Ireland began to wane, so he "took the bull by the horns" and headed across the water, where he had the good fortune to link up with Venetia Williams, winning twice for her, on Plein Pouvoir and Tuskar Rock, in 2011 before striking up a successful association with Welsh trainer Dai Burchell, for whom he rode nine winners, from a total of 13, in 2013-14.

As it happened: Robbie Dunne disciplinary hearing chronology

It was with Williams, though, that he made his name, earning in 2011 the dubious status as regular rider of perilous jumper Rigadin De Beauchene, then helping to transform him into a soft-ground chaser of some repute. "There were a lot of other jockeys wanting to ride him, but [owner] Andrew [Wiles] stuck by me," said the grateful jockey.

In November 2011, on the outing before Dunne took over in the saddle, Rigadin De Beauchene had departed at the first fence and earned himself the unique Racing Post comment "ploughed a hole through it and fell (that fence was omitted for the rest of the meeting)". On his first run for Dunne, he jumped two fences successfully before falling again, but from then on it was up and up, all the way to wins in the 2013 Betfred Classic Chase at Warwick and the 2014 Grand National Trial at Haydock.

Rigadin De Beauchene and Robbie Dunne team up to win the Betfred Classic ChaseCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

A year later, Dunne won the Grimthorpe Chase and the Scottish Grand National on Hilary Parrott's Wayward Prince, and remained on the rise with notable wins on Mysteree, Famous Milly, Gas Line Boy, Vado Forte, Jester Jet, and his most recent big prize, a Listed mares' novice hurdle for Ian Williams on Dragon Bones.

"It's always hard work," he said in 2016, "but at least there were opportunities on offer over here."

He took many of those opportunities and reached a healthy score of 44 wins last season, but that steady rise to success has now been halted.

Read more on this subject:

Robbie Dunne banned for 18 months for bullying and harassing Bryony Frost

Comment: weighing room culture allowed a poisonous situation to fester – it must change

BHA chief rejects 'rancid' picture of weighing room but says racing must change

'Absolute disgrace' – jockeys' body slams BHA over weighing room claims

Read panel's damning verdict on Robbie Dunne's bullying of Bryony Frost

The Front Runner is our latest email newsletter available exclusively to Members' Club Ultimate subscribers. Chris Cook, a three-time Racing Reporter of the Year award winner, provides his take on the day's biggest stories and tips for the upcoming racing every morning from Monday to Friday