Hughes angered by punishment for failing to dismount winner

Brian Hughes has vowed to appeal a ten-day ban dished out by the stewards at Stratford on Sunday for failing to dismount Clondaw Draft, who pulled up feelingly after winning the 2m3½f novice handicap chase.

A very frustrated Hughes, whose ban runs from June 4-10 and 13-15, said: “Why does everybody seem to want to nail the jockey?

"It's a witch-hunt; as soon as the horse felt short in front I jumped off – nobody cares more about horse’s welfare than us jockeys. I'm not happy and am definitely going to appeal."

Stipendiary steward Chris Rutter, explaining the ban, which followed a lengthy inquiry after the last race, said: "Brian Hughes has been found guilty under BHA Rule D45.4, which deals with failure to dismount a lame or injured horse.

"We found he should have dismounted from Clondaw Draft quicker than he did. He should have dismounted immediately and did not -the vet later confirmed that the horse was lame on its near foreleg."