20-year-old suspended for improper riding at Southwell
Loughnane lodges appeal against verdict and penalty
Billy Loughnane, who will be Britain’s youngest champion jockey on the Flat since Frank Wootton in 1909 if he takes the title this season, has lodged an appeal against a 21-day ban imposed by the stewards at Southwell for riding a horse back to the unsaddling enclosure after it had been scratched from a race on vets’ orders.
Loughnane’s mount, Beelzebub, was kicked at the start before the final race on Thursday evening and deemed to be lame following a veterinary examination. Loughnane, who was suspended for improper riding, has appealed against both the finding of the stewards’ inquiry and the penalty.
If his appeal is unsuccessful, Loughnane will be on the sidelines from 9 April to 30 April, ruling him out of both the three-day Craven meeting at Newmarket, which includes several Classic trials, and the Greenham Stakes meeting at Newbury.
