'I apologise for my mistake' - jockey banned for a month after misjudging winning post

John Kissick issued an apology after misjudging the winning post at Toowoomba in Australia on Saturday resulted in the jockey being banned for a full calendar month.

Kissick, riding the Mark Currie-trained Jeronimos, hit the front in the final furlong but dropped his hands in the closing stages, allowing Selling Sunset to get up by a short head.

The jockey held his hands up for his mistake and issued a statement on Twitter, which read: "I apologise to the Currie team and especially the owners for my mistake of misjudging the winning post tonight which cost them the race.

"It was a brain explosion by me and I’ll learn from it – sorry again."

Kissick pleaded guilty to a stewards' charge of failing to ride his mount out to the finish of the race.

"Kissick's license to ride in races was subsequently suspended for a period of one calendar month to commence, upon the completion of another suspension, on February 22, up to and including March 22, 2023," the stewards' report said.

"Stewards determined that jockey Kissick's actions had cost the gelding first place when considering the short head margin and the complete absence of any vigour over the final 40m of the event.

"Stewards also considered jockey Kissick's guilty plea and his forthright evidence, noting that he had mistaken the location of the winning post, as well as his record in relation to the rule."

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