Mackay was banned for striking Starts In Your Eyes (left) nine times
Mackay to appeal his Wolverhampton ban
NICKY MACKAY on Tuesday said he will appeal the decision of the Wolverhampton stewards to ban him for ten-days for excessive use of the whip on his winning ride on Stars In Your Eyes.
Mackay was given a five-day ban for striking the filly nine times - another hit was discounted by the stewards - exceeding his quota of seven strikes by two, but the penalty was doubled as it was the second offence in the last 12 months.
The rider felt that some of the strikes in the home straight should have been discounted as he was trying to prevent the four-year-old, who was having just her fourth start, from hitting the rails and her trainer John Gosden branded the decision as "bordering on the absurd."
After discussing the incident with Gosden on Tuesday, Mackay has decided that he will lodge an appeal with the BHA.
"I have sat down with the boss this morningwe have gone though it and I am 100 per cent certain that I am going to appeal," he said. "We think that I have got a strong case and we think that there was nothing I could have done differently."
Mackay gained the majority of support from racingpost.com users in an online poll who felt he should not have been punished for his ride and he was pleased by the backing he had got.
"When I got back [from Wolverhampton] I had a lot of texts and a lotof tweets and I am quite surprised by just how many people have picked up on it," he added. "The amount of support I have got has been overwhelming and I am pleased by it as I felt I was hard done by."
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