Apprentice jockey loses appeal against suspension for 'serious misjudgement'

Darragh Keenan was left disappointed on Thursday after losing his appeal against a ban imposed by stewards at Lingfield this month for serious misjudgement but was relieved his penalty was reduced to ten days.

The 3lb apprentice jockey was deemed to have asked for effort too late aboard the David Evans-trained favourite Rohaan, who was second in a 6f handicap on January 2, a length and three-quarters behind the winner Bravado.

Keenan was instructed to hold the horse up and deliver him late but informed the independent disciplinary panel that Rohaan, who won his previous two starts under the rider, felt like a "different horse".

He was originally handed a 14-day ban for his breach of Rule (F)37 but his penalty was reduced to the entry point of ten days, with factors including the horse's partial lameness taken into account.

Watch the Lingfield race involving Rohaan and Darragh Keenan

Speaking after the hearing, Keenan said: "It's not ideal but it's nice that the ban has been reduced. To be honest, I appealed [against it] on the advice of the PJA. It felt I had a good case and I'm glad I tried."

The jockey was shown several replays of the Class 4 contest, as well as the horse's previous wins at Lingfield, Kempton and Newcastle.

"He did not pick up in the same way he usually would," said Keenan. "He wasn't the same horse and I wasn't happy. This horse needs to be kept on the bridle and get there late, otherwise he'd get passed. He got there too soon at Kempton in December but got away with it.

"Improving rapidly as he is, it can't be easy. When I found out he was slightly lame after the race, it explained it all. Maybe that's why he didn't extend himself as he normally would up the straight."

What the in-running comment said

Steadied start, held up in last, shaken up and still plenty to do 1f out, quickened and headway inside final furlong, went second and reminder inside final 110yds, ran on, no match for winner

(Jockey said, regarding running and riding, that his instructions were to ride the gelding in a similar manner to how he rode at Lingfield on 22 December, 2020 where he had held the gelding up. He added that the gelding jumped well and he was confident turning in that he would pick up the winner. He further explained that he started to ask for effort from 1½ furlongs out, but he felt that the gelding did not respond as well as he thought and, in his opinion, felt slightly flat. Trainer's rep stated that they had spoken to Evans (trainer) and he was unhappy with the ride; vet reported that a post-race examination of the gelding, during routine testing, revealed that the gelding was one tenth lame on its left fore and right hind)

Louis Weston, representing the BHA, maintained the jockey had no excuse for not being seen to ask for a timely, real and substantial effort. He also noted the fact the trainer was unhappy with the ride.

Rory Mac Neice, acting on behalf of Keenan, argued the jockey rode in accordance with his instructions in a bid to replicate Rohaan's previous three wins, when he passed horses and was delivered late.

Other BHA hearings:

In-form jockey Marco Ghiani given 20-day ban for Wolverhampton ride

'Crazy' – Warren Greatrex hits out at non-trier insinuation as he wins appeal

'He rode in a way that brings racing into disrepute' – rider hit with 56-day ban

Delivering the final verdict, the panel's chair William Norris said: "We think yours was a serious misjudgement. We think you let the winner get first run on you and you left too much ground to make up. We think you did not make a sufficiently substantial effort in time.

"We recognise the fact the horse may not have responded as you would have expected might in part have been due to slight lameness, which is some mitigation, but you nevertheless left it too late to ask for substantial effort. When you did ask, the horse did pick up."

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