Long ban for Eddie Ahern after flouting rules

Eddie Ahern was hit with a three-month riding ban (January 4-April 3) after being found guilty of bringing racing into disrepute by the disciplinary panel at the BHA headquarters yesterday.

Ahern was adjudged to have deliberately flouted the whip rules in order to trigger a suspension which would enable him to start the new turf season (which begins in March) with a clean slate.

But his riding of Marsam at Southwell nine days ago attracted the attention of the RSPCA's David Muir and he was referred to the disciplinary panel after local stewards found he had used his whip with excessive force and frequency.

Only two weeks earlier he had received an 11-day ban for excessive frequency when riding Storm Path at Kempton on November 28.

Ahern said after yesterday's hearing: 'I listened to what the stewards had to say and took it on the chin.

'I don't normally ride like that but I wanted to win the AW championship this winter so I didn't want a ban. I'll take a holiday.'

The stewards noted that 'it was a shameful exhibition of riding. It is unacceptable that any jockey should commit an offence deliberately to trigger a 'totting up' penalty at a particular time.'

Ahern had already amassed 33 days of penalties and the disciplinary panel considered he was trying to get another whip ban so that he could clear his backlog and start the new turf Flat season with a clean sheet.

FROZEN tracks mean that today's meetings at Ascot and Uttoxeter hinge on early morning inspections, despite ground cover sheets being used at both venues.