Jockeys are suspended for ‘ignoring’ yellow flag

Sandown - Extraordinary events here on Saturday in the closing London National left jockeys confused, punters bemused and the sport scratching its head as another major occasion was overshadowed by a fiasco and one of the trainers involved slamming the procedures.

Seven jockeys, who continued to race despite the stop-race yellow flag being waved just before the third-last fence, were handed 10-day suspensions following a lengthy stewards’ inquiry.

Jamie Moore, Daryl Jacob, Adam Wedge, Stan Sheppard, Harry Skelton, Jamie Davies and Philip Donovan are set to miss the valuable Christmas schedule with the bans due to start on 21 December but pending appeal.

Officials took the decision to void the race as there were people on the track attending Houblon Des Obeaux, who suffered what was later reported by trainer Venetia Williams to be a fatal heart attack, on the final bend of Sandown’s chase course just after the pond fence.

The seven riders bypassed the fence in front of which the flagwaving official was standing, and only narrowly missed the stricken Houblon Des Obeaux around the home turn.

Dan Skelton, trainer of Get On The Yager, ridden by his brother Harry, said: “In the opinion of the jockeys I’ve spoken to, it [the flag] wasn’t clearly visible.”

Skelton had stronger words for the process used to stop a race, which he feels is “inadequate” and leaves jockeys confused.

“Regardless of the outcome of this, we have to wake up to it being 2019,” Skelton added. “It is completely inadequate to have just one flag out there.

“We are running LED advertising boards around the racecourse. It would be simple to have an LED board making it absolutely clear and concise that the race should stop.”

Chris Rutter, the chief steward on duty at Sandown, explained: “The yellow stop-race flag was put in place due to a stricken horse just coming into the home straight. When that flag is flown it means the race must stop and the race has been declared void.

“The stop-race flag is there when there’s a major hazard ahead. When that flag flies you have to stop riding.

“The film clearly shows the flag was there and that some of the jockeys have gone to stop and then ignored it. That’s what the film’s telling us and for that the jockeys have got 10 days.”

Similar scenes occurred at Wetherby in 2011 when Sir Anthony McCoy was among 10 jockeys banned for 10 days for failing to heed a yellow flag.