Christophe Soumillon appeal against ‘nonsense’ Royal Ascot ban adjourned to next week
BAN APPEAL: Christophe Soumillon, seen here after riding Puerto Rico to victory in the Group 1 Jean-Luc Lagardere last October, told an independent disciplinary panel on Friday that the horse has a history of hanging to his left. Picture: Healy Racing
Christophe Soumillon’s appeal against the eight-day suspension handed out by the stewards at Royal Ascot following his ride on Puerto Rico in the St James’s Palace Stakes has been adjourned.
An independent disciplinary panel chaired by Clement Goldstone KC and including Aidan Coleman and Grace Cheng sat on Friday and will reconvene for final submissions and deliberations on Thursday morning.
Soumillon’s suspension was due to run from June 30 until July 7 but will now not begin until next Friday, depending on the outcome of the appeal hearing.
The Belgian was riding one of two Aidan O’Brien-trained runners in the Group 1 event alongside eventual runner-up Gstaad, who was ridden by Ryan Moore. Puerto Rico was prominent through the early stages before ultimately finishing last of the six starters.
Puerto Rico drifted left off the rail around the two-furlong marker, causing some interference to Power Blue, who was fourth, and the on-course officials held an inquiry to consider whether Soumillon had ridden “in a manner to benefit Gstaad”.
After viewing recordings and hearing evidence, including interviewing O’Brien by telephone, the stewards on the day suspended Soumillon for eight days, ruling he had ridden his mount “in such a way that intended to give an advantage to another horse from the same stable, in that he moved his mount away from the rail thereby ensuring a clear run for Gstaad on his inside”.
Soumillon told the disciplinary panel during his evidence the accusation he was riding to benefit Gstaad was “nonsense” and that he has always been told to ride each horse on its own merits by O’Brien.
He said that after walking the course at lunchtime before the race, he believed the best racing line to be three or four horse widths off the rail.
Soumillon also mentioned Puerto Rico has a history of hanging to his left and that he turned his head to assess what was happening behind him for safety reasons after he heard the clipping of heels and not to look for Gstaad.
He also told the panel he had seen a group of schoolchildren on the bend earlier in the day and that he moved his horse away from the rail in order for him to keep his concentration.
Moore, O’Brien, and Power Blue’s rider David Egan, who Soumillon said was “aggressive” during the race and had caused interference by pushing him towards the rail, were not present.
