Rival jockeys have struggled to halt the charge of improving jockey Ben Melham but Racing Victoria has ensured he won’t be riding another winner until the 8th of May.

Melham was suspended after being charged with careless riding during Tuesday’s meeting at Bendigo in the Lest We Forget Maiden Plate.

He pleaded guilty to the charge with video evidence showing  he allowed his ride Alarms to shift wide with 400m to go causing interference to the runs of Hirafu and Ardennais.

After taking into account his guilty plea and the effect of a slight move from another horse Melham was given a ban that will see him miss the next 11 race meetings.

The offence itself was considered to be in the mid-range of severity according to the stewards.

It’s bad timing for a rider who rode an impressive treble of metropolitan winners at Flemington on Anzac Day and is steadily rising in the jockey standings.