Racing News round-up: Just 48 hours before his 2,000 Guineas date with One Cool Cat, Ballydoyle's number one jockey Jamie Spencer will have to contend with a dangerous riding charge brought by one of racing's most powerful owners.
Spencer was last night at the centre of a growing storm of controversy after the leading owner, Lady Chryss O'Reilly, lodged an appeal to the Turf Club charging the jockey with dangerous riding.
If the appeal is upheld, Spencer could face an extended stay on the sidelines with dangerous riding usually picking up a penalty of between 10 and 21 days.
That would be a devastating blow to the jockey who is in his first season as stable jockey to Aidan O'Brien and who has high-profile classic rides in May.
After a day of some confusion, where the phone lines were hot between the Turf Club and the racing authorities in France, the rider, who has been plagued with suspensions this season, looked to have had things fall his way with bans in both jurisdictions eventually being allowed to run at the same time rather than one after the other.
As a result of a loophole in the French regulations, a four-day ban (May 4th-7th) picked up at Longchamp on Sunday would run at the same time as a four-day Irish ban (May 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th) incurred for a ride on All Too Beautiful at Navan last Saturday.
That would have left Spencer free to ride the Derby favourite, Yeats, in the Derrinstown Derby Trial on May 9th but last evening a new element to the story was provided by Lady O'Reilly.
Spencer was suspended at Navan for careless riding after an incident which resulted in the O'Reilly-owned horse, Sahara Sonnet, hitting the ground and rider Mick Kinane having to be taken to hospital.
The champion jockey was released unharmed but after getting up Sahara Sonnet galloped loose and ran into a racecourse ambulance, picking up cuts and bruises in the process. Lady O'Reilly has now lodged an appeal to the Turf Club charging Spencer with dangerous riding. The appeal is likely to be held on Thursday morning at 9.30.
Lady O'Reilly's spokesman, James Kelly, said last night: "Lady O'Reilly doesn't want to comment on the matter until after the appeal is heard. But the evidence is there for everyone to see." He added: "Sahara Sonnet is heavily sedated and on painkillers and is eating up. It looks like she will survive but we don't know the extent of the damage yet."
Early yesterday afternoon, Spencer was at the Turf Club where his own appeal against a one-day whip ban that rules him out of the ride on Necklace in Sunday's 1,000 Guineas was thrown out.
However, he now faces a much more serious meeting with the Appeals & Referrals Committee. The Turf Club's chief executive Denis Egan said last night if the dangerous riding charge is upheld, any extra penalties would commence on May 9th.
That would bring Spencer's participation in the Dante meeting at York, the French Guineas (May 16th) and the Irish Guineas meeting into some doubt.
