'We don’t feel there’s any mileage in it' - Fergal O'Brien rules out appeal against Wincanton schooling penalties

Fergal O'Brien has said he will not appeal against the punishment imposed on him and jockey Paddy Brennan following the running and riding of Northern Air at Wincanton on Monday. 

The trainer was fined £4,000 and the jockey banned for 18 days, beginning on April 22, after stewards found Brennan had failed to ride Northern Air in such a way that he could be seen to ask for "timely, real and substantial effort" to obtain the best possible placing.

The penalties were the maximum possible for schooling and conditioning a horse on the racecourse. 

The mare was a notable market drifter out to 5-1 and ran on strongly under tender handling to finish second to Navajo Indy in the 1m7f maiden hurdle. She has been prohibited from running for 40 days.

O'Brien, who was not at Wincanton, told the Racing Post: "We're not going to appeal because we just don’t feel there’s any mileage in it. We accept our punishment but at the end of the day Paddy was just looking after the mare and I support the ride he gave her. It was in the best interests of her future."

Senior steward Tom Evetts told Racing TV on Monday: "The question that you could ask is where the line between intent and schooling is. We've done her under schooling. Intent is where the rider is doing the opposite of what we'd expect. Schooling is where the rider's not doing enough, and up the straight we felt Mr Brennan just wasn't doing enough."

Brennan's suspension will mean he misses Sandown's season finale but will be eligible to ride Dysart Enos in the Trustatrader Top Novices' Hurdle (2.55) at Aintree's Grand National meeting on Friday, one of two Grade 1 runners for O'Brien this week alongside Crambo in Saturday's JRL Group Liverpool Hurdle (3.05). 

"I got very excited for Cheltenham and it fell apart, so I'm not getting overly excited about Aintree," the trainer said. "I love going there and I'm excited about that but we just need to get there. 

"Dysart Enos going wrong two days before Cheltenham took the wind out of our sails and then to lose Highland Hunter on the first day summed up our week. Crambo then ran worse than I could have ever anticipated. 

"There was no real reason for his run, nothing has come to light to explain it, so hopefully it was a one-off. He's won round Aintree, so hopefully he'll enjoy it a bit better."

Read more:

Confirmed runners and riders for the four Grade 1 races on the opening day of Aintree's Grand National meeting 

Dan Skelton, Paul Nicholls or Willie Mullins? Whose team will have the final say in the tight-knit trainers' championship 

'I was lucky' - false start leads to nine withdrawals and a match race in chaotic conclusion to Wolverhampton's card 

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