Stubbs set for open hearing

Apprentice Kristin Stubbs will make history at the Jockey Club next week, when she becomes the first rider ever to take part in a disciplinary hearing open to the press.

The 24-year-old has launched an appeal against a two-day suspension collected for careless riding at Wolverhampton on Monday.

Her hearing, scheduled to take place next Thursday, will become the first not to be held behind closed doors.

Also scheduled for the same day will be the hearing into the weighing-room fracas between jockeys Neil Callan and Shane Kelly at Lingfield yesterday.

The pair were referred to the Jockey Club by the local stewards on a charge of using ’violent or improper conduct’ on the racecourse.

However, as the incident did not take place on the actual track, their hearing will not be open to the media.

While the matter could have been dealt with on the day, Jockey Club public relations director John Maxse said today that he thought a referral had been the correct decision.

“Matters such as this are often better dealt with in the cold light of day, rather than when tempers are still simmering,” he said.

“It is also worth pointing out that a dispute between two jockeys is far less serious than if an official was involved.

“To use a footballing analogy, violent or improper conduct towards the referee would be dealt with far more seriously than if two players had a disagreement in the dressing rooms.

“Such behaviour on the racecourse is still clearly a breach of the rules, but if the disciplinary panel do decide that a suspension is the appropriate penalty for the riders then it would almost certainly be a matter of days rather than weeks.”