Galway jockey successfully appeals ban
An appeals panel reviewed the decision leading to a lesser penalty
Galway jockey Rossa Ryan has been cleared to ride at York’s Ebor Festival starting on August 19 after his 28-day ban was reduced to ten days after appeal.
The Corofin native was set to miss a key part of the summer after it was found he had “eased up” on Thunder Home in the 7f maiden at Sandown two weeks ago.
According to The Racing Post on Tuesday, the appeals panel said they did not accept that Thunder Home would have definitely won if Ryan hadn’t had done this - saying the horse ‘could have won’ not ‘would have won’ - leading to a lesser penalty under the rules.
Ryan led throughout on the James Horton trained runner and had built up a clear lead inside the final furlong, though Jamie Spencer had begun to wind up Zero Error from his hold-up position.
The stewards judged that Ryan - lying third in the jockeys’ championship - eased his mount on the run to the line as Zero Error collared his mount in the shadow of the post.
Ryan’s ban begins on August 6 and will finish on August 16 making him eligible to ride at the York Festival three days later.
In other racing news, a Galway trainer with a big-race pedigree has had his licence suspended indefinitely by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board.
Craughwell-based handler Pat Kelly has been banned following a stable inspection that revealed multiple regulatory breaches.
The IHRB Referrals Committee issued the suspension after Kelly failed to engage with the regulator or attend a hearing regarding the findings of an unannounced January inspection of his premises.
Passports for 17 horses were unavailable, and the stable's medicines register was incomplete. Furthermore, 10 horses stabled at the yard were not officially registered in his care, and two other horses returned in his care could not be identified at the location. The panel originally issued fines totalling €2,400.
Kelly will remain suspended until he adequately addresses the regulator's concerns regarding yard traceability and record-keeping, though he is free to reapply for his licence once those issues are resolved.
Having saddled both Natalie’s Fancy and No Tag to win the Guinness Galway Hurdle in the early 1990s, Kelly underlined his big-race pedigree when turning out Presenting Percy to win twice at the Cheltenham Festival.
He also enjoyed success at National Hunt's biggest meeting with Mall Dini in the Pertemps Final.