PROMISING APPRENTICE FACES LENGTHY BAN FOR CLAIM CHAOS RAP FOR ROOKE

GEORGE ROOKE could be disqualified from 26 races for breaches which include riding with a claim the BHA say he was not entitled to.

The apprentice jockey will appear before racing’s ruling body for several offences, after he failed to declare three winners in Jersey.

On his return, Rooke did not report the successes in July and August of last year to officials.

The BHA says the young rider should have been claiming 5lb from February 21, but he competed in a number of races with his usual 7lb allowance.

Jockeys can take off the higher amount until they have won 20 races.

It is their responsibility to make sure they are claiming the correct weight.

Rooke, who primarily rides for trainer Richard Hughes, had seven winners in the affected which he could now lose.

He also took part in the Racing Excellence Apprentice Series, restricted to jockeys with no more than 10 triumphs prior to November 15.

The BHA was alerted to the situation at Newcastle’s fixture on February 27, where the allowance was corrected publicly.

Since March, Rooke has ridden with his correct 5lb claim and has had 11 winners.

Today’s disciplinary panel will determine if he is in breach of the requirement to ride with the correct weight and for jockeys to inform the BHA of winners outside of Britain.

The hearing has been delayed from March until now due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Meanwhile, Robert Havlin intends to appeal a 10-day ban he period, was issued with for careless riding by the stewards at Yarmouth.

The 46-year-old was handed the suspension yesterday following his ride aboard the John Gosdentrained Swift Verdict, who finished third in the Mansionbet Beaten By A Head Maiden Handicap.

The officials ruled Havlin had failed to take sufficient action to prevent his mount from shifting left and that he used his whip in the right hand, causing his colt to carry Dreaming Blue on to the rail which in turn caused My Vision to clip heels and stumble.

Havlin said: “He is a big horse, the biggest in the field with blinkers on. He did move a little bit left, but nothing that wouldn’t happen in any normal race. In two strides I went from three off the rail to being on the rail. I had no time to react.

“It is all right when they are looking at it in slow motion in there, but it doesn’t happen in slow motion on the track.”