Ahern free for Ascot

Eddie Ahern will be able to ride at Royal Ascot next week after enjoying partial success in his appeal to overturn a ban incurred for improper riding at Bath on Sunday.

The jockey received five days for causing interference to Eddie Creighton’s mount Emily’s Pet, which triggered a deferred three-day suspension, increasing Ahern’s enforced holiday to a total of eight days.

He had been scheduled to miss the final three days of the Royal meeting with the ban initially running from June 22 to 29, but the Horseracing Regulatory Authority’s disciplinary panel reduced his Bath punishment to two days.

Although he must serve a total of five days since his two-day ban still triggers the deferred suspension, the Bath offence being reduced to just two days means Ahern may begin to serve his ban on June 25 and avoid missing out on Group One action at Ascot.

There was no such good news for Jamie Spencer and Dane O’Neill, who both failed to overturn bans imposed for careless riding.

Spencer will serve a two-day ban this weekend, while O’Neill will miss a week’s action between June 16 and 22, which includes the opening three days of the Royal meeting.