CALLUM MCKINNES has been slammed for bringing racing into disrepute after he was hit with a 56-day ban for an ‘untruthful’ ride.
The shamed jockey was banned for eight weeks between December 4 – January 31 after failing ride a horse on its true merits.
The BHA disciplinary panel accused him of a ‘deliberate breach’ in the hearing at the end of November.
The report read: “The panel has found Mr McKinnes’s breach of the riding standard required by the rules to be deliberate rather than the negligent breach he admitted.
“It was behaviour aggravated by his untruthfulness both before the Hereford stewards and before this panel.
“If he had ridden normally, there is every reason to think that World Trip would have improved her placing and finished fourth. Instead he rode in a way that brings racing into disrepute.
“In the light of these factors and the facts of the case generally, the panel decided that a suspension of 56 days was warranted.”
The ride in question was back in October at Hereford on World Trip.
They finished fifth and, despite complaining about the horse’s breathing, the charge has been upheld.
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During the panel discussion last month he was accused of ‘dancing around’ on the horse.
Tim Charlton QC, who chaired the panel, said: “After the last hurdle in particular, we can only describe some of his actions as absurd.”
Commenting on McKinnes’ ride, Louis Weston, the British Horseracing Authority’s barrister, said: “He starts to make erratic movements with his arms, out of rhythm with the horse.
“What is he doing?
“He’s jiggling, dancing about. His horse reacts badly to it, for obvious reasons.
“That is no way to ride a racehorse.
“And then, as soon as he gets to the line, he rides normally again.”
McKinnes’ defence was that he panicked due to the strange breathing noise World Trip was making.
He said: “It doesn’t look like my normal riding style.
“But I’ve never been in this situation before, a horse hanging with me and making a noise.
“You could almost say I panicked a bit.”
Olly Murphy, the mare’s trainer, was found not to have breached any rules and has told McKinnes to take his punishment and come back from it.
Murphy said: “It’s something that Callum’s going to put behind him. Unfortunately he made a big mistake, he panicked and he’s got to take a slap on the wrist.
“He’s a real hard-working young lad who’s been with me for a while and I’ll stand by him 100 per cent.
“The mare has got a breathing problem, she’s made a noise, he’s panicked and he didn’t know what to do. He’s got to pay the consequences through having a hefty ban.
“The mare has since gone on and had a fairly hefty wind operation to help her breathing hopefully.”
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