McCoy to appeal against 10-day ban
The champion jump jockey was deemed to have dropped his hands on the Jonjo O’Neill-trained Batten Down (7-2) in the cantorsport.co.uk Novices’ Handicap Chase on Friday. He had been hard at work on the six-year-old in the final mile but was held after taking the final fence, and when he momentarily eased up he was beaten a short head for third by Finzi.
“I am definitely going to appeal. In this instance I think it’s in the best interests of racing that a jockey goes out and makes sure he brings the owner’s horse back in one piece, and that is what I was trying to do,” McCoy told Channel 4.
“When I pulled up I got off the horse and led him back up to the enclosure because I wasn’t happy with him.
“When you get off a horse after the winning post there’s always a vet there and one did ask me what I thought, and I said I thought he was sore.
“I didn’t report that to the stewards and I was wrong in not doing that.
“I felt I wasn’t happy with the horse. From the last fence I was barely moving on him at all. I was just trying to hang on to the best possible position.
