Paddy Brennan© Photo Healy Racing
Paddy Brennan is set to serve a 10-day suspension after easing down and losing second place aboard Young Buster in the concluding race at Doncaster on Saturday.
The Fergal O’Brien-trained eight-year-old was an 11-4 favourite to stretch his unbeaten record over fences to four in the SBK Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase and cut out much of the running before being headed by eventual winner Egbert on the run to the final fence.
After seemingly accepting defeat on the run-in, Brennan stopped riding in the closing stages and it ultimately proved costly as the fast-finishing Snipe nipped up his inside on the approach to the line and got up to claim second spot by a head.
The stewards deemed Brennan had “appeared to drop his hands and stop riding shortly before the winning post” and “failed to take all reasonable and permissible measures to obtain the best possible placing on a horse that would have finished second”.
Brennan will be suspended from February 10 to 19 inclusive, ruling him out of Newbury’s Super Saturday meeting plus high-profile cards at Ascot and Haydock.
The jockey is set to be in action at Doncaster again on Sunday, where his rides include leading Cheltenham Festival contender Dysart Enos in the opening Download The At The Races App Novices’ Hurdle.
