Murphy not rushing into appeal decision

Horse Racing

Champion set to miss St Leger meeting after picking up seven-day ban.

Champion jockey Oisin Murphy is weighing up whether or not to appeal against the seven-day suspension he picked up at Ayr on Monday, which rules him out of the Pertemps St Leger Festival at Doncaster.

Murphy was successful aboard odds-on shot Tiritomba, but was found guilty of careless riding as he was judged by the stewards to have “allowed his mount to drift left for a considerable time without sufficient correction causing (Paul) Mulrennan (rider of Ricksen) to take a significant check and clip heels”.

Murphy is currently well clear of nearest pursuer Tom Marquand is this year’s race for the jockeys’ championship

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Asked about the possibility of an appeal, he said: “I haven’t spoken to the PJA (Professional Jockeys Association) yet, to be honest.

“I had an appeal that I didn’t win the other day from a ban at Wolverhampton, which wasn’t what I hoped for.

“It’s a little bit stressful, because I hope everyone is aware I don’t want to cause interference – particularly in a novice race in a small field at Ayr.”

Murphy has already sought out some trainers’ opinions about the circumstances of Monday’s incident.

He said: “I’ve shown the clip to a few trainers to have a look, and the general consensus is I haven’t taken my hands off the reins and I haven’t directed my horse to shift left. I don’t ride with wing mirrors to know there is a horse within reach of mine.

“If you argue I should have pulled my stick through to the left – well to do that, I would have had to loosen my hold on the right rein.

“There’s a photo taken after we’ve pulled up. My horse was wearing a snaffle, which has split in half, and half of the bit has come through the horse’s mouth on the right-hand side.

“It will be interesting to see the way other people view it, because that will have a bearing on whether I appeal or not – as well as my own view.

“If the BHA believe it was worthy of a seven-day suspension and that it is fair then they are entitled to that opinion – I’m riding within their rules, at least I try to. I think I’ve got three or four days to decide whether to appeal.”

He added: “I went about 18 months without a suspension anywhere in the world – and now I’ve been hit with a big one. Such is life. I think it’s sensible to take a bit of time to think about it.”

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