Hughes furious about Explode caution

Richard Hughes was furious with the decision of the Doncaster stewards to find him guilty of "premature easing" on Explode, who finished last of six in the Joy UK Conditions Stakes at Doncaster.

They originally suspended him for two days, but they then realised that they had made an error as he had not been found guilty of a similar offence in the previous 12 months and as a result he was only due a caution.

However, that only marginally tempered Hughes’s anger, and he reasoned: "They said I had not been vigorous on the horse, but I would not have been any closer whatever I had done.

"I was not vigorous on Duck Row yesterday (Group Three, GNER Park Stakes) but I still managed to win on him - they blundered first of all saying I had being guilty of premature easing in the past year, but it was two years ago, so I was lucky in that sense - but it does not make it any easier.

"“There were horses which could have finished five places closer in races yesterday, but because they were big fields nothing was done."

Senior stewards’ secretary Patrick Hibbert-Foy apologised for the mistake as far as the penalty was concerned, but said: "We are not saying that Explode could definitely have finished fifth, what we are saying is that the jockey did not demonstrate enough in his riding to show that he would definitely not have finished fifth."

And his colleague, former jump jockey Phil Tuck admitted: "There was an error in reading the records.

"When it was realised it was Richard’s first offence in the past 12 months, then the penalty was only a caution, but if it happens again in the next 12 months a suspension would be in order. We have apologised all round."