Top jockey Rossa Ryan was banned for 28 days on Thursday after he was defeated on a horse that 'would have finished first'.
The 26-year-old is pursuing a first success in the Flat jockeys' championship and was in third place behind, 11 winners behind Billy Loughnane and ten off Oisin Murphy at the start of the day. He looked set to claim one win back at Sandown in a maiden race for two-year-olds on the James Horton-trained Thunder Home.
The incident
The 14-1 chance made the running and was ridden clear of his rivals with a furlong to run. He opened up a three length break over the rest but Zero Error, under Jamie Spencer, began to rattle home and, as Ryan was easing down in expectation of victory, that rival snatched success by a nose.
Ryan was summoned to a stewards inquiry to explain his actions on the son of Night Of Thunder who was having his third start.
Stewards' decision
The stewards report said: “Rossa Ryan, the rider of THUNDER HOME (IRE), had appeared stop riding on the run to the line before recommencing his ride in the final strides to finish second, beaten by a nose.
“After being interviewed and shown recordings of the incident, Ryan was suspended for 28 days for failing to take all reasonable and permissible measures to obtain the best possible placing on a horse that would have finished first.”
Ryan, who is first jockey to Ralph Beckett for whom he has won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and a Breeders' Cup, will be sidelined from August 6 to September 2 inclusive. He will miss several big races including the York Ebor Festival.
