Another day in Irish racing, another controversial incident involving Charles Byrnes. He’s now had a horse and jockey banned after a non-trier incident at Sligo.
Charles Byrnes: Horse & Jockey Banned After Sligo Race
A conditional jockey has received a two-week ban after failing to achieve the best possible placing on a Charles Byrnes runner at Sligo.
Tom Kelly rode Glin Road Boy in a Sligo handicap on Tuesday evening and the horse caught plenty of attention after finishing his race strongly.
It was Glin Road Boy’s first handicap and also his first start for the Byrnes yard. The five-year-old opened up with the bookies at around 12/1 and went off 22/1, drifting significantly.
After being ridden cold at the back of the field, Glin Road Boy made lots of ground late on and eventually finished second.
But the horse appeared full of running in the home straight, leading to a running and riding inquiry.
WATCH: Glin Road Boy Finishes Second At Sligo
Click this link to see the race finish, and keep an eye on the purple and yellow silks with a white cap.
The stewards’ report said: “Tom Kelly stated that his instructions were to get his mount to finish out his race in the best possible position. He further stated that his mount jumped off a bit keen, took a while to settle, was gurgling and making a noise throughout the race.
“He felt that at the the back of the third last he put his mount into the race to finish in the best possible position, and was satisfied he did all hie could to ride his mount out to the line. When questioned as to why he did not pull up his mount in the circumstances given his report, Kelly stated that the horse was okay to continue.”
Kelly was banned for 14 days and was also ordered to forfeit his riding fee. Meanwhile the horse Glin Road Boy was banned from running for 60 days.
This incident comes not long after Byrnes’ son Philip was handed a three-week suspension for dangerous riding.
With Royal Ascot coming up, we could see some Byrnes horses in action in big field handicaps.
