ROSSA RYAN has confirmed he has patched things up with Christophe Soumillon.
But the top jockey said the infamous elbow incident that brought shame on racing was ‘uncalled for’.
Soumillon could be seen elbowing Ryan out of the saddle as the horses hurtled along at top speed
It was a miracle the jockey didn’t break his neck in the fall
Ryan says Soumillon has reached out to apologise for what happened
Belgian legend Soumillon elbowed Ryan out of the saddle mid-race in shock scenes at Saint-Cloud racecourse in France last September.
Soumillon was sacked from his £500,000 Aga Khan riding contract and became the subject of a police investigation.
Ryan miraculously escaped the incident unhurt, with a video of the scarcely believable clash going viral online.
Soumillon was banned for two months and is free to ride again next week.
Ryan, who until recently was retained rider for football superagent Kia Joorabchian, said Soumillon had finally reached out to him.
He told Sky Sports Racing: “I recently spoke to Christophe. He let everything die down then came back and apologised to me.
“We had a really good chat. I’ve got respect for Christophe, even though what he did was uncalled for.
“I gained a lot of respect with the phone call. It’s a hard enough game without any hiccups.
“It’ll be one that I won’t forget, whatever happens with anything else.”
Immediately after the incident, Soumillon issued a public apology and said his conduct was ‘unacceptable’.
He later paid £6,200 to trainer Ralph Beckett, covering the costs of his horse Captain Weirzba who ended up having a wasted trip to France after Ryan was pushed off mid-race.
