Stewards kept busy at Doomben again

Racing Queensland Stewards were again kept busy on Saturday at Doomben suspending three jockeys for careless riding and hitting Luke Nolen with a hefty fine for giving misleading evidence.

Top Brisbane jockey Jim Byrne, leading New Zealand rider James McDonald and local boy Ryan Wiggins will spend time on the sideline and miss several feature race meetings over the Winter Carnival.

While Nolen was fined $2000 for giving misleading evidence during an inquiry resulting from the protest hearing out of the Doomben Cup last week.

Trainer Peter Moody threw in an objection after Manighar, ridden by Nolen, struck interference on the turn out of the straight the first time and ended up finishing two lengths third to Mawingo, ridden by Nash Rawiller.

Stewards dismissed the protest but later suspended Rawiller for ten meetings for careless riding which he got quashed on appeal.

Following the careless riding inquiry, Stewards had concerns with Nolen’s inconsistent evidence at the protest hearing and the inquiry and charged him with providing misleading evidence to the Stewards in an inquiry and handed out the hefty fine.

Byrne was suspended for careless riding for three different incidences, twice in the first race and once in the fourth and is out until midnight June 9, making him miss the Stradbroke Handicap meeting on June 9.

McDonald received  a ten meeting stretch for causing interference in the Doomben 10,000 on third placegetter Temple Of Boom at the 1200m when he shifted in causing Jay Ford on Ladys Angel to be checked and is out until midnight, June 16.

But McDonald’s time out doesn’t commence until midnight on June 2 enabling him to be free to ride at Saturday’s Queensland Oaks meeting at Eagle Farm.

And Wiggins is out until midnight June 12 for causing interference in the three year old Handicap earlier in the day.

Sydney rider Christian Reith had to give up his Stradbroke Handicap mount Tiger Tees after being suspended at Rosehill on Saturday.

Corey Brown is the new rider for Tiger Tees after Reith pleaded guilty to a charge of careless riding in the PKF Benchmark 80 Handicap (1200m) when he shifted out at the 200m on See The World causing Millenium Ruler to be checked and lose ground.

The final acceptances for the Group 1 $400,000 Treasury Casino Queensland Oaks (2400m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday are taken on Wednesday with twenty-eight left in the field at this stage while the Group 2 $350,000 Queensland Guineas (1400m) has attracted twenty-nine entries headed by Peter Snowden’s promising three year old Mental.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.