Jockeys suspended over void Perth race to appeal
Jockeys Sean Quinlan, Stephen Mulqueen and Derek Fox have appealed against the 10-day suspensions they received after failing to pull up during a voided three-mile novice handicap chase at Perth on Monday.
Johnny Go had fallen at the first fence and ran loose before coming down on the run-in. He was being treated while the race was being run and suffered a fatal injury.
‘Stop-race’ procedures were put into place while Johnny Go was being treated behind screens near the finishing line, with the race subsequently declared void.
But Quinlan, rider of first-pastthe-post Red Giant, Fox aboard Miss Joeking – the only other finisher – and Mulqueen, who was unseated from Here Comes Love after the final fence, appeared to ignore the ‘stop-race’ flag.
The British Horseracing Authority confirmed the appeal would be heard next Thursday.
Shabaaby looked to be a horse for the notebook when running out a very easy seven-length winner at Doncaster yesterday.
The Owen Burrows-trained juvenile had looked to be going places when quickening up nicely to win at Newmarket on his previous start and confirmed that impression when settling this race in just a few strides after hitting the front approaching the final furlong.
Burrows said: “He’s improving with every run, which is great. He’s a very straightforward horse. He settles well and when you pull him out, he’s got a fair amount of gears.”
Brian Harding steered Off Art to a thrilling victory in the Clipper Logistics Leger Legends Stakes when a field of 14 former jockeys – including 70-year-old George Duffield – went to post for the charity contest, which is in its seventh year.
Harding, 44, rode more than 600 winners during a 30-year career as a jump jockey and only retired this year.
“That was hard work but good fun. I was confident early in the race and got excited about three furlongs down when I probably shouldn’t have. When he got to the front he got a bit lazy,” he said.
Harding’s career highlight was the 1998 Queen Mother Champion Chase success on One Man, while he also won the 2004 Irish Grand National on Granit D’estruval.