Hearing adjourned due to Geraghty illness

Tomorrow`s appeal by champion jumps trainer Martin Pipe and jockey Barry Geraghty against the punishments meted out by the Cheltenham stewards, over the running and riding of Magnus earlier this month, has been adjourned.

The hearing was due to start at 2.00pm tomorrow but a statement from the Jockey Club said: 'The appeal due to be heard tomorrow by the disciplinary committee into the running and riding of Magnus in the Coral Eurobet Cup has had to be adjourned due to illness on the part of Barry Geraghty.

'Earlier today the Jockey Club received notification from a doctor that Barry Geraghty would not be able to travel to London from Ireland for the hearing due to illness. Consequently the hearing was adjourned.

'The Jockey Club are currently trying to confirm a new date for the appeal. It is likely that the rescheduled hearing will take place the week commencing April 8th.

'However, the revised date will be announced as soon as it is known.'

Magnus beat only one home in the Coral Eurobet Cup on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival and Pipe was fined Stg2,000 while former Irish champion jockey Geraghty was handed a 12-day ban and the David Johnson-owned Magnus was banned from running for 40 days.

Magnus, a record-breaking Stg340,000 purchase from France last year, was having only his third outing for Pipe (he won in France on his first start for him) after breaking a blood vessel on his debut in this country when well beaten at Newbury in December.

He finished 25th of 26 finishers at Cheltenham, beaten around 77 lengths, behind stable-mate Ilnamar under top weight of 12st.

The stewards found Geraghty in breach of Rule 158 as they considered he failed to take all reasonable and permissible measures throughout the race to ensure that his horse was given a full opportunity to win or of obtaining the best possible placing.

They found Pipe in breach of Rule 155 which deals with inadequate instructions to jockeys.