Plenty of questions unanswered as Neil Callan suspension saga rumbles on

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Neil Callan’s suspension saga took a twist on Monday when the rider lodged notice of an appeal against the severity of punishment handed down at last Wednesday’s show cause hearing, which was called after a lively stewards’ inquiry into careless riding at Happy Valley on February 3.

The Irish jockey received a lengthy suspension, in excess of three months, after presenting a defence that included support from several Hong Kong racing notables including two champion trainers and big-name owners.

The unusual length of the punishment fuelled conjecture, innuendo and uncertainty – notably on social media and the often-provocative online Chinese language racing forums – with questions unanswered in three short Hong Kong Jockey Club press releases, totalling 230 words, about precisely what the line was that Callan crossed.

Callan was summoned before the HKJC licensing committee under rule 14(2) to show cause as to why he should be allowed to keep his licence following the stewards’ inquiry.

The rule gives the committee the power to withdraw or suspend a licence “if they shall determine that the license holder's conduct, whether or not the conduct associated with racing, renders him unsuitable to continue to hold the license issued to him".

Happy Valley: Neil Callan was found guilty of careless riding at the track on February 3Credit: Edward Whitaker

So, what did happen in the stewards’ room that night that led to one of Hong Kong’s most experienced jockeys being punished to the extent that his career in the jurisdiction looks to be over?

Senior HKJC executives would not go on record when approached by Asia Bloodstock News and would not provide details of particulars regarding the offence, which they consider to be a confidential matter between Callan, the racing stewards and the licensing committee.

But sources within the HKJC said it was his refusal to accept the disciplinary process and its integrity, rather than rudeness on Callan’s part, and he was not deemed to be petulant or disrespectful as has been reported elsewhere.

The jockey, too, was unwilling to comment publicly about the case, with his appeal pending. He has, though, said he raised his voice and confirmed he disagreed with panel chairman Steve Railton – chief stipendiary steward Kim Kelly was absent at the time – over what he believed was an inaccurate description of the riding incident.

At one point Callan rose to his feet and was asked to sit down. In his exchange with Railton, he said there was no point presenting his case because he kept being interrupted and the panel would decide what they wanted to do regardless. Railton – an experienced stipe on the cusp of retirement – refuted the suggestion.

As the verdict was being delivered, the three-man panel, which also included HKJC chairman Philip Chen and Joseph Fok – a Chief Justice of Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal and a government-appointed National Security Law judge – took Callan to be yawning and Railton questioned whether he was showing respect. He told them that it was hot and uncomfortable wearing a face mask in the room, an explanation Railton accepted.

As Callan moved to depart the inquiry, he continued to voice his displeasure and Railton is said to have responded that Callan knew the way to the airport; the rider retorted that it wouldn’t be long, a reference to the likelihood that he was going to leave of his own accord at the end of the season.

Eyewitnesses to Callan’s exit and entry into the weighing room area observed that he then passed comment to HKJC CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, essentially saying that he had had enough. The rider said he did not use foul language nor were his words abusive.

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges: Neil Callan is said to have exchanged words with the HKJC chief executiveCredit: Hong Kong Jockey Club

When Asia Bloodstock News asked one senior figure within the club to elaborate on the specific reason for Callan’s show cause hearing, they referred back to the HKJC press releases and pointed to his behaviour during the February 3 inquiry.

Move forward two months to last Wednesday and Callan’s hearing took place in front of three members of the licensing committee – all members of the HKJC board of stewards – the stridently pro-Beijing politician Martin Liao, Stephen Ip, a former Secretary for Economic Development and Labour within the Hong Kong government, and Dr Eric Li, a past member of Hong Kong’s governing legislative council.

Engelbrecht-Bresges and Andrew Harding, HKJC’s executive director, Racing, were also in the room, observing but not authorised to take an active part in the deliberations. The racing stewards, it should also be noted, have no involvement in the process once the club’s management has initiated the show cause hearing.

Callan presented along with his lawyer, Haldanes partner Geoffrey Booth, who believed the three adjudicating members had not read his client’s supporting letters of reference, so took it upon himself to read them out.

The length of the suspension has shocked Callan – the licensing committee factored in Callan’s abusive outburst at fellow jockey Vagner Borges in the jockeys’ room in November, for which he received a HK$25,000 (approx £2,300/€2,700) fine – and its severity has not gone unnoticed.

Harding, when contacted by Asia Bloodstock News, offered his view that on the one hand it was a case of whether or not Callan lost his licence, but on the other hand, the panel had to take on board the jockey’s own submissions to the hearing about the impact on his family of losing his licence, specifically his children who are in school, and the difficulties of relocation back to the UK.

HKJC management said the panel’s decision to suspend Callan until the end of the season, rather than withdraw his licence, was compassionate in its ruling, allowing Callan to remain in his HKJC-owned apartment, keep his club car, enjoy the club’s health insurance, have his children finish school and cover the family’s relocation flights.

Callan does not see it that way – his car is his own and does not belong to the HKJC – and takes issue that the ruling means he cannot work for three months. His view is that it would have been more compassionate to have been given a period of suitable notice to pack up his things and start riding in Britain before the season gets into full swing. This, again, concentrates attention on the length of the sentence.

Howard Cheng: banned for six months for failing to disclose financial informationCredit: Mark Dadswell

In recent seasons Grant van Niekerk had his licence stripped on the spot over a domestic abuse incident; Alberto Sanna was suspended from December 11, 2019 to January 20, 2020 for failing to obtain the best possible placing in a race; and Howard Cheng was banned for six months for refusing to provide financial information to a hearing at a time when he was already serving a three-month running and handling suspension.

HKJC officials view the length of Callan’s suspension as being tied to the benefits he and his family will receive from being licensed. That, officials have said, is the basis upon which the licensing committee suspended the licence rather than withdrew it.

Whether Callan’s suspension is reciprocated in other jurisdictions is something that will be decided now that he has lodged appeal.

It is the HKJC’s prerogative to decide whether it wishes to seek reciprocation from overseas jurisdictions, which is done by written request. If it does, Callan will be sidelined in Britain until July 15 and, given the committee’s unusual formulation of the punishment, that could raise questions around the harmonisation of international rules, which the HKJC has been in the vanguard of pushing forward through the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities.

It is not unusual for jockeys to be discontented with elements of Hong Kong racing, but very few declare it publicly. Christophe Soumillon endured two riding suspensions during his recent short-term contract and expressed some dissatisfaction at the lack of quality horses; and Umberto Rispoli, now at Santa Anita, and similar in his forthright manner to Callan, has gone on record previously to voice his disaffection.

Christophe Soumilllon: had issues with Hong Kong racing authoritiesCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Harding would not respond to conjecture that Callan’s hefty punishment had anything to do with him dissenting in the presence of high-profile Hong Kong figures, causing them to lose face, or that the rider’s fate had been determined before he entered the show cause hearing.

In its coverage of the case, the South China Morning Post noted the club’s March 22 announcement that Harry Bentley would join the jockey contingent from April 17, making a point that it was a “strong clue” that Callan’s replacement had been sourced before the hearing. That notion was dismissed by a senior official.

It should be noted that the HKJC would ordinarily bring in at least one extra rider for the tail-end of the season and, with Ruan Maia new to the scene and Chad Schofield suffering back issues, it would have been folly for the club not to have bolstered the ranks, Callan or no Callan.

But the few details released by the HKJC have led to increased speculation and unanswered questions over the nature and length of the suspension, with jockeys in and out of Hong Kong wondering what is going on.

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