Sky Racing poster girl Chynna Marston and fiancé Alex Kean ordered to stay from racehorses after inquiry found the couple guilty of neglect

A former Sky Racing presenter has been banned from the industry for seven years after a NSW Racing investigation found her guilty of neglecting racehorses.

Ex-jockey and former TV personality Chynna Marston and her fiancé Alex Kean have been ordered to stay away from thoroughbreds until 2030 and 2029 respectively.

The ban, handed down on Wednesday, is the culmination of a three-year Racing NSW investigation that began with an RSPCA tip-off alleging the pair abused and neglected their horses.

Both sides’ initial sentences have been reduced from 13 to seven years for Marston and from 10 to six years for Kean.

Marston was charged with eight animal welfare charges, of which she has vehemently denied being guilty, while her partner was hit with seven charges.

The investigation’s findings revealed that the couple had failed to provide more than a dozen retired racehorses with adequate nutrition, water and veterinary care.

Stewards accused Marston and Kean of failing to provide enough food to 12 racehorses between March 27, 2023 and June 5, 2023.

They also accused the couple of failing to obtain medical attention for six racehorses between February 14, 2023 and March 27, 2023.

One of the most egregious offenses uncovered in the investigation involved Kean shooting a horse in a pasture before burning the animal on a bonfire.

Marston and Kean were not present at the inquest and did not explain the reason for their absence.

Rather than attend the inquest, Marston posted a 17-minute video to Vimeo entitled ‘My Stance’ in which he denied all allegations and refused to associate with Racing NSW in any capacity in the future.

Marston had also previously pleaded her innocence in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, where she described the charges against her as “very hurtful.”

“I completely deny all allegations of neglect, whether of Scarlett or any other horse,” she wrote on June 10.

“I am fully cooperating with NSW Racing’s investigation and I look forward to all allegations being proven untrue and to getting back to caring for the horses I love so dearly.”

The former jockey was dismissed from her duties at Sky Racing Thoroughbred Central in July. She did not return to the air before submitting her resignation last week.

Marston claimed the animal cruelty breaches are the result of a ‘vendetta’ by Racing NSW over its impending legal action against Tumut Turf Club.

“I plan to present my side of the case – and the truth – in adult court… and have the cases heard in a real court scenario. Things will certainly turn out very differently there, I’m sure,” she said.

Marston claims she was harassed by Racing NSW stewards who entered her property to collect ‘illegal’ evidence.

“I have also had to repeatedly call the police on the stewards for trespassing, for entering my property without my permission and also for intimidation,” she said.

‘They keep calling me and sending me emails about things that have nothing to do with me, to the point that I have had to change my number and email address, as advised by the police, to stop this harassment.’

She claims the evidence used by Racing NSW was illegal because it was collected while she and Kean were abroad.

“When we returned I discovered that a Racing NSW steward had entered my property. He did that without making contact, there was certainly no permission whatsoever 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 .’

Under Racing NSW’s most recent Rules of Racing, there are conditions under Division 4 under which a steward can gain access to property on welfare grounds.

Marston played down the seriousness of the breaches, admitting that two vulnerable animals died following an outbreak of salmonella, while another animal that was in poor health was seized while she was abroad.

‘The thoroughbreds survived (the salmonella outbreak), but we lost two ponies in the process. So it was definitely a difficult time,” she said.

About the horse that was seized while she was abroad, Marston said: “She had numerous health problems that no one ever asked me about.

“Everyone says she was starving and all that, but there was a whole bunch of witnesses willing to say what this horse was fed and what we were doing.

“I said we wanted to try more with her. And while 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.

The charity has since been flagged by the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission for failing to provide financial reports for 2022 and 2023.

Marston also targeted a journalist who had covered the investigation and the resulting 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 even tried and like I said, she didn’t even do her research. So it will be great to see her on the other side of the courtroom as well.”

The journalist in question responded.

‘This columnist asked Marston some questions, which she ignored. However, she did provide a character assessment and some advice on what our next steps should be,” the journalist wrote.

‘She also falsely suggested that she had not previously been contacted for comment.’

Marston also mentioned a man she knew who was in prison after being found guilty of kidnapping and raping her.

At the end of the video, Marston first said she would make no further comment unless a donation was made to a charity of her choice, before saying: “I’m turning off my phones and comments now so I I don’t have to deal with it. Bye.’

Marston was contacted by Daily Mail Australia for comment on September 4 but has not yet responded.