Plumpton seven cleared

Champion jockey Tony McCoy and six of his weighing-room colleagues have had their bans, which were dished out by the Plumpton stewards on Monday, quashed at an appeal heard by the Jockey Club`s disciplinary committee today.

The opening race at Plumpton on Monday was declared void after all the runners took the wrong course and the riders involved in the chaos picked up lengthy suspensions.

There were complaints afterwards that the course had not been marked clearly.

McCoy and five others were banned for 10 days after the 28th September Restart Claiming Hurdle, with the riders having passed the incorrect side of a dolled section in the back straight on both circuits.

Gerry Supple, who was first past the post on the front-running Potentate, trained by champion Martin Pipe, was hardest hit, being handed a 14-day suspension.

The only rider who escaped censure was amateur Harry Poulton, whose mount, Mujalia, had refused to race.

The banned group also numbered Tom Scudamore, Jason Maguire, Paul Flynn, Barry Fenton and leading amateur David Crosse.

But a statement from the Jockey Club said: 'The committee found that the jockeys, having jumped the first hurdle, were confronted with a dolling off rail which could be passed on either side.

'The clerk of the course explained that to protect the outside of the hurdle course, he had placed some running rail to keep the horses on the inside. However, whilst he considered this to be a boundary rail it did not extend to the boundary hedge to allow an escape alley for loose horses.'

'The committee examined a copy of the plan exhibited in the weighing room and found that the dolling off rail was not referred to on the plan. The committee was therefore satisfied that the jockeys who rode top this plan were entitled to pass the rail on either side.

'It therefore upheld the appeal, decided that the race should not be declared void and quashed the suspensions imposed on the jockeys.

'It placed Potentate first, Miracle Island second, Nouveau Cheval third, Iorana fourth and Socialist fifth.'