Michael Kinane is considering an appeal against the ban which has ruled him out of the ride on Galileo in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot on Saturday week. He was suspended for two days (July 27 and 28) for careless riding after Aidan O'Brien's odds-on Sophisticat was beaten in the Eircell Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown yesterday evening. "It was an unfortunate race for us. We'll just have to go home and discuss things about Ascot," said O'Brien.
The stewards stressed that they had taken Kinane's good record into account when handing out the two-day ban. Kinane did not receive any suspensions last season and this is his first this term. If his appeal is unsuccessful, he will join the likes of Kieren Fallon, Johnny Murtagh and Frankie Dettori, who missed the Vodafone Derby, Budweiser Irish Derby and the Prix du Jockey-Club respectively due to riding bans. If Kinane had been suspended for two days in Britain, the punishment would have been deferred because there is a Group One contest on one of the days of his ban. This rule does not apply in Ireland.
Brian Kavanagh of the Irish Turf Club said: "He's got 48 hours in which to lodge his appeal. It's up to him really. If he does appeal it will be heard as quickly as possible. It will be a normal appeal situation. The decision was taken on the track. After any inquiry any decision can be appealed and the penalties can be different."
1-3 chance Sophisticat got trapped behind a couple of horses and when Kinane switched his mount inside, he went across Maskaya who in turn squeezed up Yanni and Johnny Murtagh against the near rail. The race was won by Pat Smullen on Dermot Weld's Agnetha, who avoided the trouble by coming down the outside to make her challenge and score by a length from the favourite.
Filed by Greg McKevitt
