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By Billy Blakeman ValueChecker
Hughes' Appeal Failure Looks Enough to Give Hanagan Victory
08/10/10
Richard Hughes chances of becoming champion jockey were dealt a tangible blow after his appeal against a 6-day ban, imposed by the Wolverhampton stewards after Hughes had committed a riding offence on Saturday night, was thrown out.
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The stewards found that in manoeuvring his mount to the left, Hughes had caused multiple interference. That the move deserved a ban cannot be argued against but Hughes saw some mileage in trying to get a day or two off punishment. However, the Irish born jockey will be sidelined for seven consecutive days (October 16-22) including an extra day for a separate whip offence on the same card. The ban will rule Hughes out of the prestigious Champions' Day meeting at Newmarket on October 16.
Hughes commented; "It's frustrating but there's nothing I can do about it and I've just got to keep going as hard as I can up until the day I'm banned, then I'll have to assess things when I get back. I'll give it a go and do my best, that's all I can do."
Hughes' solicitor, Andrew Chalk, added: "As you would expect, Richard presented a strong case for a reduction in penalty and he thought that he'd done more than enough to get a result. We await the reasons but, in all the circumstances, Richard is understandably extremely disappointed with the outcome."
Sky Bet have now opened a market on rival Paul Hanagan’s winning margin to keep betting on the event active; offering odds of 6/1 that Hanagan wins by one to five, 3/1 for six to ten, 11/4 for 11-15 winners, and 9-4 any margin above that.
Matt Doyle of Sky Bet said: "Hanagan will not be complacent but he appears to have a first title in the bag with his main rival forced to sit out six days crucial days as the season draws to a close."
The Northern based jockey can win the first at York on Friday on ALBEN STAR for boss Richard Fahey. The colt has plenty of potential to improve and he could easily outclass his rivals off top weight.
Recommendation: 2.10 York Alben Star
