More ban misery for Murtagh

JOHNNY Murtagh further incurred the wrath of the British stewards on the opening afternoon of Royal Ascot, picking up bans totalling seven days which will rule him out of the Coral-Eclipse meeting at Sandown next month.

The Ballydoyle stable jockey was hit with a five-day suspension for careless riding aboard Frozen Fire in the Investec Coronation Cup at Epsom earlier in the month, and will miss the final two days of the Royal gathering as a result.

He first caught the stewards’ eyes this afternoon when winning the St James’s Palace Stakes aboard Mastercraftsman and was stood down for one day (June 30) for using his whip with excessive frequency.

Worse was to come, though, as he was hit with a six-day ban for his ride on Kayf Aramis in the marathon Ascot Stakes.

The stewards give him five days (July 1-5) for careless riding on the final bend after his mounted drifted right without correction and interfered with Ermine Sea.

That ban means the 39-year-old would miss out on riding Mastercraftsman if he were to take up his entry in the Eclipse.

Murtagh also misses the Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly, while he will additionally sit out Monday, July 6 after failing to ride out for sixth place and subsequently dead-heating for that position with Woolfall Treasure.