Top jockey suspended after Hastings race-fall calamity

The rise and fall of champion jockey Opie Bosson unfolded in seconds as four jockeys fell from their horses as he won the major sprint at Hawke’s Bay’s biggest race-day of the year.

Bosson rode Red Badge Spring Sprint winner Times Ticking, but caused an incident which ended with four other jockeys sprawled on the Hastings Racecourse turf on Saturday, and Bosson off to a judicial hearing which resulted in his suspension from racing for six weeks from October 29 to December 10.

With over 1800 winning rides in a career 27 years, Bosson’s mount was one of 11 starters in the $100,000 sixth race on the last day of Hawke’s Bay Racing’s Spring Racing Carnival, two races before the Livamol Classic.

The action started just short of the line when Old Town Road and Tavis Court, both on the inner, crowded and tossed respective jockeys Lisa Allpress and apprentice Faye Lazet as they finished second and third respectively, Darren Danis, on fourth-placed Cross Roads, and Mereama Hudson, on Pull No Punches (10th), then suffered similar fates, but none of the horses fell.

Two of the jockeys were stood down from racing for the rest of the day because of possible injury. But Allpress rode the winner of the next race, and was on the track at Rotorua on Sunday, as was Bosson, riding the winner of the opening race.

Bosson admitted a charge of careless riding and was also fined $1000. The suspension cuts Bosson out of any possibilities that might have arisen for the Melbourne Cup, New Zealand Cup week next month.