GREENE DEFENDS PLUMPTON ERROR Rodi Greene today launched a fierce defence of the ride which cost him a 10-day ban at Plumpton. The jockey remains adamant that it was blinding sunlight which caused him to miss out the third flight in Monday`s selling hurdle on leader Nazzaro. Greene is still angry at being suspended for 10 days after the stewards failed to accept his explanation that he was unsighted. 'They are saying the sun was okay and I`ve gone the wrong side of the hurdle for no reason,' he said. 'If you look at the television or the pictures in the papers today you see I was going the wrong way but if it was as clear as day, why would you go left of the hurdle? 'I wouldn`t go all the way down to Plumpton just to pull up.' Greene`s claims were not backed up by course inspectors Richard Linley and Peter Hobbs who inspected the site of the incident after Monday`s race. But the jockey believes they did not get a true picture of how the sunlight affected him. 'Richard Linley and Peter Hobbs went to have a look 10 minutes later but are they saying that the sun doesn`t move?' Greene said. 'They weren`t on horseback so they couldn`t see my predicament.' Three of the five riders following him also missed out the third flight, reducing the race to something of a farce. Greene received the minimum sentence for a first offence of taking the wrong course. But he will be out of action on all days when jump racing is scheduled in Britain from February 7th to 17th, ruling him out of big events such as the Tote Gold Trophy at Newbury and Tote Northern National at Newcastle.
