Jack Kennedy eligible for Fairyhouse after whip-ban reduction

Jack Kennedy has had his ten-day whip suspension reduced to eight days on appeal, meaning he is now eligible to ride at Fairyhouse’s winter festival meeting on December 1 and 2.

Kennedy incurred the ban following excessive whip use during a race on Down Royal’s JNwine.com Champion Chase card earlier this month and was due to miss notable mounts at Fairyhouse including Apple’s Jade in the Grade 1 Hatton’s Grace Hurdle.

HRI awards nominees

The nominees for the 2018 Horse Racing Ireland Awards, which takes place in Dublin on Tuesday, December 4, were revealed on Tuesday.

There will be a total of seven different categories on the evening, ranging from horse of the year, for which Alpha Centauri, Tiger Roll, Footpad and Un De Sceaux have been nominated for, to racecourse of the year.

Another noteworthy category is the Flat award, for which Aidan O’Brien, Jessica Harrington, Joseph O'Brien and Donnacha O'Brien have been nominated for.

Meanwhile, Ken Condon, Patrick Prendergast, Colm O’Donoghue, Darren Bunyan, David Marnane and Shane Crosse have been nominated for the Flat achievement award.

The other categories are the National Hunt award, the National Hunt achievement award and the point-to-point award.

RTE’s Hugh Cahill will be the MC on the night and HRI chief Brian Kavanagh said: “The Horse Racing Ireland Awards give us the opportunity to relive those tremendous achievements in the Irish racing industry, both at home and on the world stage.

“I would like to congratulate all the nominees and look forward to celebrating their achievements early next month.”

Ronan Whelan eyeing return to saddle next month following Meydan fall

Ronan Whelan, who suffered six broken ribs and a punctured lung from a fall at Meydan on November 1, hopes to be back in the saddle as early as next month.

The rider enjoyed Group 1 success on Patrick Prendergast’s juvenile filly Skitter Scatter, performances that earned him a slot with UAE trainer Ali Rashid Al Rayhi at Grandstand Stables for the winter.

Whelan fell from Gervais in a 7f maiden early this month, but he expects to make a full recovery.

He said: “I’m doing good. I got out of hospital last Thursday and have been improving away every day since I left. I’m back in the gym doing light exercise and have been given December 11 as my return date.”

Hereford gets an extra fixture

A seven-race jumps fixture will take place at Hereford on Monday, November 19 as a replacement for the cancellation of Leicester’s meeting on the same day due to unsuitably firm ground.

Capri on course for Japan Cup

Last year's Irish Derby and St Leger winner Capri has been installed as a 12-1 shot with Coral for the Japan Cup after the international runners for the Group 1 contest were announced.

The Aidan O'Brien-trained four-year-old will be joined on Sunday week by the David Menuisier-trained Thundering Blue, who finished second in the Canadian International at Woodbine last month.

Mackinnon Stakes runner-up Latrobe, trained by O'Brien's son Joseph, was under consideration for the Japan Cup but will not travel to Tokyo.

Japan Cup, November 25

Coral: 13-8 Almond Eye, 11-2 Cheval Grand, Satono Diamond, 6 Suave Richard, 12 Capri, Kiseki, Makahiki, Mikki Rocket, 16 Thundering Blue, 20 Satono Crown, 25 bar

Jockey coach Rodi Greene among finalists on awards shortlist

The three finalists for the Jockey Club Achievement Award, the centrepiece of the Richard Davis Awards and to be presented at Cheltenham on Sunday, have been announced.

Jockey coach Rodi Greene, business owner John Pritchard and BHA starter Sophia Upton are the shortlisted trio.

There are three categories in the Richard Davis Awards, the main showcase of the work of the Jockeys Employment & Training Scheme and celebrate the work of ex-jockeys following their new career after finishing riding.

Lisa Delany, manager of Jets, said: "We were delighted with the quality of entrants for this year’s Richard Davis Awards and all three Achievement finalists have shown total commitment to their new careers.

Rodi Greene: cycling again for the IJFCredit: Dan Abraham

"Former jockeys are often praised for their work ethic and dedication by employers and each of our finalists has faced unique challenges in their second careers which they have dealt with brilliantly.

"I can only congratulate them on their motivation and focus and I'm glad Jets has helped all of them to make such a success of their new roles. The fact they're recognised by these awards is testament to their hard work over the years."

The awards are named in memory of Richard Davis, a jump jockey killed in a fall at a race at Southwell in 1996.

The Jockey Club Achievement Award is worth £3,000 to the winner, while the two runners-up receive £500 each.

The IJF Progress Award, worth £2,000, rewards the early progress of jockeys who have more recently started out on a new career/training path.

The BHA Current Jockey CPD Award, worth £1,000, is for currently licensed jockeys who have shown real commitment to their CPD (Continued Personal Development) while riding or during injury absences, in order to enhance their development as a rider or assist with their dual career development.

BHA trial to extend marker pole distance

A trial to extend the marker-pole distance has been agreed by the BHA and all-weather racecourses.

The move comes after consultation between several senior Flat riders and safety officers.

Starting at Southwell on Monday, the minimum distance that each marker pole will be positioned from the stalls has been extended to 100 yards.

The exceptions will be those starts close to a bend, including Lingfield and Kempton over five furlongs and Wolverhampton over seven furlongs.

The trial is until the end of January and interference and suspension data will be collected by the BHA in the meantime.

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