TWO Royal Ascot jockeys and another who won on a horse owned by The Queen were hit with bans just minutes after winning their races.
Rab Havlin – who secured an 18-1 shock – and Jim Crowley were slapped with suspensions at the royal meeting on Thursday.
While Liam Jones got a ban after winning on Wink OF An Eye at Newmarket on Friday.
Former champion jockey Crowley was the first to fall foul of stewards after his win on Mohaafeth in the Hampton Court Stakes.
The William Haggas-trained star saw off Ryan Moore’s 14-1 Roman Empire by just under two lengths.
But Crowley only got the win after surviving a stewards’ enquiry into the 3.05pm contest.
Stewards let the result stand but took a dim view of his effort, noticing how much his mount had swerved across the racetrack.
The report read: “Crowley was suspended for six days for careless riding for allowing his mount to shift right-handed away from the whip, taking ROMAN EMPIRE (IRE) off its intended line, and thereafter Crowley allowed his mount to continue drifting right-handed towards the rail, causing Moore to have to take a check and switch his mount off the rail.”
More drama was to come in the very next race thanks to Havlin’s 18-1 winner in the Ribblesdale Stakes.
The experienced rider got home brilliantly on the John and Thady Gosden-trained filly Loving Dream.
Raced wide before moving in for the kill, she saw the 1m 3f race out well to scoop the £98,335 first-place prize for connections.
However, stewards noticed Havlin using his whip above the permitted level from one-and-a-half furlongs out.
And he was subsequently hit with a two-day ban.
Meanwhile, on Friday at Newmarket, Jones ran out a close winner on The Queen’s Wink Of An Eye.
Her majesty – who is expected to attend Royal Ascot on Saturday – saw the same horse win at Haydock earlier this month.
But this time Jones copped a two-day ban for ‘careless riding’ in the closing stages.
The report read: “An enquiry was held to consider interference approximately 1½ furlongs out when the winner, WINK OF AN EYE, ridden by Liam Jones, interfered with YEAR OF THE DRAGON (IRE), placed seventh, ridden by Daniel Muscutt.
“Jones was suspended for two days for careless riding as he was slow to correct his mount from drifting right-handed towards the rail causing Muscutt to have to take a check off WINK OF AN EYE’s heels.”
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