Watch: Showout demoted at Deauville with Watson considering appeal

Archie Watson is considering appealing against the demotion of his juvenile Showout at Deauville on Tuesday.

Showout, owned and bred by Tim Rootes, passed the post in front in a tight finish to the Listed Prix Zeddaan but was subsequently placed second after stewards deemed interference with revised winner Munitions, trained by Andre Fabre, was sufficient enough to reverse the placings.

William Muir’s Jack’s Point finished a career-best third in the €60,000 contest.

Fahey fine quashed on appeal

Peter Fahey was successful with his appeal against a €2,000 fine for breaching rule 212 (A) with Gone Galavating in a mares maiden hurdle at Tipperary on October 8.

The appeals body of Andrew Cody, Joseph McGrath and Nick Wachman decided that the circumstances were exceptional given the inexperience of jockey, Eric Roche, who did not appeal his own five-day ban. Gone Galavanting also had his 42-day ban lifted.

Danny Mullins was out of luck with his appeal against a four-day ban for failing to give Tikkanen Express time to respond to the whip in a handicap chase at Punchestown earlier this month and he was ordered to attend RACE for one day's tuition on the correct use of the whip.

Best Solution not penalised for Melbourne Cup

Saturday's impressive Caulfield Cup winner Best Solution will not be penalised for next month's Melbourne Cup, with Racing Victoria's chief handicapper Greg Carpenter citing his big weight, proven Group 1 form and the narrow margin as reasons for leniency.

After Saturday's race jockey Pat Cosgrave suggested the Saeed Bin Suroor-trained four-year-old could be marked up for his run as he missed the break, made up ground in the hottest part of the race, travelled five wide around the first bend and still found plenty at the finish.

However, Carpenter had to consider other factors and pointed out that while horses high in the weights have a good record at Caulfield they struggle more at Flemington. He also said horses high in the weights penalised for the Melbourne Cup had a poor record.

Carpenter said: "We saw one of the closest finishes to a Caulfield Cup in the last decade on Saturday, and there's no doubt the record of horses high up in the weights in the Melbourne Cup hasn't been as positive as in the Caulfield Cup.

"In the last 40 years 63 horses have run in the Melbourne Cup with 57kg or more, and only one of them – Makybe Diva in 2005 with 58kg – has been able to win, so that was part of the thought process around whether to penalise Best Solution.

"He came to Australia with an established Group 1 record and ran as well as I thought he would in that narrow photo-finish with Homesman so I've elected not to penalise him. He'll go into the race with 57.5kg.

"The records suggest it is a very big challenge for a horse to win with 57.5kg and if you look at the next 24 horses in the order of entry, 16 of them didn't contest Saturday's Caulfield Cup."

He added: "I think it's a huge challenge for Best Solution, it'll be his first start beyond 2,400m [mile and a half] and he'll meet new challengers, and with 57.5kg he'll have to run up to every bit as well as he did on Saturday and then some to become the first horse since Makybe Diva to win in that weight bracket."

Betway new Challow Hurdle sponsor

Bookmakers Betway have been announced as the new sponsor of the Grade 1 Challow Hurdle at Newbury on December 29.

The novice hurdle, which has been won by the likes of Denman and Reve De Sivola, has a total prize fund of £40,000.

Julian Thick, chief executive of Newbury, said: "We are delighted and grateful that Betway has come on board to sponsor our sole Grade 1 contest of the season."

Thick added: "This year, we will also be saying goodbye to our clerk of the course Richard Osgood, who leaves us following the meeting after almost 40 years of loyal service."

James Bowen named in top three in young sports personality of year competition

Last season's champion conditional jockey James Bowen made the final shortlist for the 2018 BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year, which was won on Sunday by para-athlete Kare Adenegan.

Adenegan, Bowen and swimmer Freya Anderson were the top three, whittled down from an original shortlist that also included Max Burgin (athletics), Jack Draper (tennis), Georgia-Mae Fenton (gymnastics), Anna Hursey (table tennis), Georgia Roche (rugby league), Ryan Sessegnon (football) and Maisie Summers-Newton (Para-swimming).

The award, determined by a panel of experts, has been won by the likes of footballer Wayne Rooney and tennis player Sir Andy Murray.

Bowen, 17, had a memorable 2017-18 season, riding 58 winners. He also won the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow on Raz De Maree at the age of 16.

He was on target at Kempton with a double on Sunday on A Place Apart and Elkstone, and said: “I wasn’t even expecting to be nominated and was very pleased to get as far as I did.

"It was tough competition in the final three and even the top ten was a very strong line-up; I was pleased just to make that list. Hopefully it’s been good for racing and I’m sure my parents are very proud.”

Donnacha O'Brien out of Breeders' Cup after Ascot ban

Donnacha O'Brien will not be appealing against the seven-day whip ban imposed on him at Ascot on Saturday, which rules him out of Breeders' Cup Saturday at Churchill Downs on November 3.

O'Brien, who will be crowned Ireland's champion jockey for the first time next month, was banned after finishing second on I Can Fly, who was beaten a neck by Roaring Lion in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

The ban rules him out for November 3, and November 5-10 inclusive. At Dundalk on Friday night O'Brien received a two-day whip ban which covers November 2 and 4.

IJF issues Christmas card and calendar

The Injured Jockeys Fund has released its annual Christmas card and calendar, which are vital to the organisation's fundraising efforts.

In its 54th year of production, the design of the card features a painting by renowned equine artist Daniel Crane, Silent Footfall, which depicts horses walking in the snow.

The charity's Legends of the Turf calendar focuses on racing's greatest living jockeys and their best moments, with the cover dedicated to Richard Johnson's Gold Cup win on Native River.

In their own words, the likes of Sir AP McCoy and Lester Piggott describe why their chosen race or horse is special to them.

The calendar, which costs £7.50, contains all UK, Irish fixtures and UK point-to-points and is available in a slimline or desk version.

Christmas cards are available in packs of ten (£7.50) and can be bought with the calendar here.