It’s a scandal that Soumillon only hit with 60-day ban

TO put into perspective the weakness of the ban issued to Christophe Soumillon, to suspend a jockey for October and November is pretty much the equivalent of making a footballer serve a two-month ban in June and July. Except to first allow Soumillon to ride in tomorrow’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is like allowing the miscreant footballer to play in the Champions League final before his suspension begins. Think, too, that there is pretty much no act a footballer could commit that might kill or disable an opponent; whereas what Soumillon did to Rossa Ryan, by elbowing him off his mount, could have had far-reaching consequences for the Galway rider. A broken back if he had fallen more fatefully; a broken neck in the worst case scenario. Riders die falling off horses; riders end up in wheelchairs for life. And when Soumillon committed his act he couldn’t possibly know how it would turn out for Ryan. It is good fortune, nothing more, that the jockey and his mount were unharmed. So it is scandalous Soumillon’s ban amounts to 60 days, even worse it begins next week after he rides Vadeni for the Aga Khan in tomorrow’s big race. Now we wait to see if His Highness has the standards his grand title implies. Soumillon is his retained rider and has been, off and on, since 2002. They have enjoyed many successes. Yet what Soumillon did was despicable. No matter his ban laughably underplays the seriousness of the offence, is this the man the Aga Khan wants representing him to the racing community? Soumillon may miss big meetings, but his presence in the Arc is nothing short of a disgrace. Soumillon apologised and claimed he made a mistake, but that is easy to say afterwards. He said he was only using his elbow to maintain his position. Even if this were true — and there are plenty in racing who are sceptical — Soumillon is experienced enough to know the danger of such behaviour. Everyone in racing does. At the Ecuador Derby meeting on September 18, Joffre Mora forced a jockey off his horse with an arm. Though his rival, Luis Hurtado, was unharmed, Mora was banned for life. Strange they should treat rider safety more seriously in South America than in France, a country that would consider its racing industry among the most prestigious. Yet there it is. A twomonth ban for an offence that could have ended a life. In 2018, when motorcycle racer Romano Fenati grabbed a rival’s handbrake during a Grand Prix, he was banned for a measly two races. His team, however, promptly terminated his contract for the rest of the season. If he is a man of principle, that’s the least the Aga Khan should do with Soumillon: effective immediately.