Leading French rider taken into police custody and questioned over serious criminal assault allegations.

France's leading jockey, Pierre-Charles Boudot, was one of two riders taken into police custody on Monday and questioned over serious criminal assault allegations.

The Public Prosecutor of Senlis confirmed Boudot and fellow rider Pierre Bazire were placed in custody at the Chantilly police station on Monday in relation to a sexual assault complaint.

French media reported that Boudot is at the centre of the complaint made by a 23-year-old woman employed by a racing stable based at Chantilly. 

The alleged incident took place in Cagnes-Sur-Mer in mid-February at a residence rented by Bazire. The woman filed her complaint with police the day after the alleged incident took place.

This is not the first sexual assault accusation leveled at Boudot, in January 2020 he denied a separate allegation arising from a matter that reportedly occurred in August 2015, after the original complaint was filed in October 2018.

The arrest comes days before the first French Classics of the season, with the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (Gr 1, 1600m) and Poule d'Essai des Poulains (Gr 1, 1600m) set to be held at Longchamp on Sunday.

Boudot has won the French Jockeys' Premiership three times - in 2015, 2016 and 2020 - and guided Waldgeist (Galileo) to victory in the 2019 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Gr 1, 2400m).

The 28-year-old rider also holds a commanding lead at the top of the 2021 French Jockeys' Premiership with 105 wins, more than double his nearest pursuer Theo Bachelot (50 wins).