Ex-jockey turned racing presenter Chynna Marston quits her TV job and launches stunning legal action after being found guilty of animal neglect over treatment of racehorses
Ex-jockey and Sky Racing presenter Chynna Marston has claimed animal cruelty allegations were a ‘vendetta’ by Racing NSW when she launched legal action against Tumut Turf Club following her serious fall in 2014.
Racing NSW found Marston and her partner Alex Kean guilty of a total of 15 animal welfare violations on August 23, after an investigation found they had assaulted thoroughbred horses in their care.
Stewards accused Marston and Kean of not feeding enough food to twelve racehorses between March 27, 2023 and June 5, 2023. They also accused them of not receiving medical attention for six racehorses between February 14, 2023 and March 27, 2023.
They also faced a third charge of conduct prejudicial to racing interests.
Racing NSW also found that Kean had shot and killed a horse following an alleged accident in the paddock without consulting a vet or the governing body.
Marston and Kean were not present at the investigation and did not answer calls questioning their absence. A sentencing date has not yet been announced.
The former jockey was fired from her duties at Sky Racing Thoroughbred Central in July. She did not return to the air before handing in her resignation last week.
Instead of attending the investigation, Marston posted a 17-minute video on Vimeo titled ‘My Stance’ in which he denied all allegations and refused to deal with Racing NSW in any capacity in the future.
Marston spoke at length about her side of the story in a 17-minute video
Marston and her current partner Alex Kean (pictured together) were found guilty of a total of 15 charges and will be sentenced at a later date
“You made me one of the most hated people right now, but my name was put on a list of horses that I didn’t already own, care for, have custody of or control over,” she said in the video.
Now Marston has filed a claim for workplace injuries after her fall on Zarababe in 2014.
Marston, then a 23-year-old apprentice jockey, suffered a broken nose and trauma to her back and neck during that career-ending fall, in a race that was later canceled due to wet weather.
She was unconscious for five minutes, had a seizure, had her nose broken in two places, had trauma to her T2 and T3 vertebrae, and damaged ligaments and muscles in her neck.
Marston has since claimed that the fall resulted in conditions such as epilepsy, memory loss and persistent headaches.
“I broke my neck and my back, I had brain damage, epilepsy, post-concussive syndrome, I suffered from the effects of my race fall on a daily basis,” she said in her recent video.
Marston is pictured after the 2014 fall that ended her career as a jockey and resulted in serious injuries including a broken nose, neck and back trauma
Marston claims the animal cruelty offenses are a result of a ‘vendetta’ by Racing NSW over its upcoming legal action against Tumut Turf Club.
“I intend to present my side of the case—and the truth—in adult court… and have the cases heard in a real-life court case. Things will certainly turn out very differently there, I’m sure,” she said.
Marston claims to have been harassed by Racing NSW stewards who entered her property to collect ‘illegal’ evidence.
“I also had to call the police repeatedly for the stewards, for trespass, for entering my property without my permission, and also for harassment,” she said.
“They keep calling and emailing me about things that have nothing to do with me, to the point that I’ve had to change my number and email address, as advised by the police, to stop this harassment.”
She claims that the evidence used by Racing NSW was illegal because it was collected while she and Kean were overseas.
“When we got back I found a Racing NSW steward had entered my compound. He did that without making contact, certainly no permission was given and he had absolutely no right,” she said.
“In doing so, he used evidence that he had entered illegally and put my name on a list, and he didn’t even bother to look at the fact that he knew that not all the horses were in my name, that these horses ‘didn’t belong to me. .’
Marston (pictured left) has resigned as presenter at Sky Racing after initially being stepped down in July
Marston claims the horses involved were not in her name and Racing NSW stewards are illegally trespassing on her property
The Racing NSW rules show that stewards can access a premises for welfare reasons
Under Racing NSW’s most recent Rules of Racing, there are conditions under Division 4 under which a steward can access property on welfare grounds.
Marston downplayed the seriousness of the breaches, admitting that two vulnerable animals died following a salmonella outbreak, while another animal in poor health was seized while overseas.
‘The thoroughbreds survived (the salmonella outbreak), but we lost two ponies in the process. So it was definitely a tough time,” she said.
Of the horse that was confiscated while she was abroad, Marston said, “She had numerous health issues that no one ever asked me about.
“Everyone says she was starving and things like that, but there was a whole bunch of witnesses who were willing to say what this horse was eating and what we were doing.
“I said we wanted to try more with her. And when we were gone, this horse was taken.”
During the video, Marston also repeatedly points out that she has withdrawn from the Recycled Racehorses charity she founded prior to the investigation. Her partner Kean is the current CEO, while she continues to volunteer for the cause.
Marston has strenuously denied that the horses in her care have been mistreated. She said the animals that died were vulnerable to a salmonella outbreak and another horse was already in poor health.
Marston’s career on camera seems over and she is taking legal action over the fall that ended her jockey career in an attempt to recover lost earnings
Marston also targeted a journalist who had covered the investigation and ensuing investigation.
“An incompetent journalist who continues to misinterpret things, without doing any research, she is the only one who has contacted me with some pathetic, absolutely disgusting questions and comments. It was ridiculous to say the least,” she said in the video.
“She’s the only one who’s even tried and like I said, she hasn’t even done her research. So it will be great to see her on the other side of the courtroom as well.”
The journalist in question has responded.
This columnist asked Marston some questions, which she ignored. She did, however, provide a character assessment and some advice on what our next steps should be,” the journalist wrote.
“She also falsely implied that she had not been approached for comment earlier.”
Marston also mentioned a man known to her who was in jail after being found guilty of kidnapping and raping her.
At the end of the video, Marston first said she wouldn’t comment further unless a donation was made to a charity of her choice before saying, “I’m turning my phones off and comments off now so I don’t have to deal with it. Bye.’
Marston has been contacted by Daily Mail Australia for comment.