Prescott and Guillambert to appeal

Mark Prescott and Jean-Pierre Guillambert are to challenge the fine and suspension imposed over the running and riding of Secret Liaison at Newcastle on Monday.

The local stewards found the horse had not been ridden to obtain the best possible placing and Prescott was fined £2,000 (€2,900), Guillambert suspended for 14 days and Secret Liaison banned from racing for 40 days following the two-year-old’s debut seventh, beaten just over 13 lengths, behind Stepping Up in the Toteplacepot EBF Maiden Stakes.

Prescott believes his jockey was harshly treated and has decided to support Guillambert’s appeal.

“I think Mr Guillambert is very unlucky,” Prescott said. “It looks absolutely to my eyes that if you asked a room full of people which was the horse that was supposed to have done something wrong you’d come up with 10 different horses – but that’s life.

“When I went to school there was a wonderful master and he thought: ‘This is a troublesome little chap and I’ll sort him out’.

“In my very first class someone was talking and he said: ’Prescott, 500 lines’ and I said: ’Hang on, it wasn’t me’. He said: ’I know but you’re a big lad and you’ll soon find out that’s 600’.

“I said: ’It wasn’t me’ and he said: ’700’ and I said: ’But sir, that’s not fair’ and he said: ’I’ll give you 800 to shut you up and life isn’t fair and as soon as you learn that the better – 1,000’.

“So I think the same applies, but Mr Guillambert was very hard done by.”

Explaining his decision to contest the Newcastle stewards’ findings, Guillambert said: “It has always been my intention to appeal, but Sir Mark has had such a big impact upon my season I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardise that, especially as appealing means he has to come to Shaftesbury Avenue with me and appeal against his penalty.

“It is quite a quiet part of the season to miss for 14 days and I did consider letting things be. But Sir Mark has given me his full support, which I am very grateful for, and I want to go to the Jockey Club and clear my name.”