Victorian Jockeys Assossiation chief Des O’Keefe has lashed out against a ruling made by stewards against apprentice jockey Talia Rodder today.

27-year-old Rodder was suspended for six weeks after stewards found her guilty of not giving her mount, Serene Tanie, every possible winning chance at Moonee Valley last Saturday.

Stewards deemed Serene Tanie set a tempo that was too fast, causing her to finish second last in the Corporate Interiors Handicap.

O’Keefe feels the decision to give Rodder  a six week suspension was out of line.

“She is a very principled person and bitterly disappointed and extremely concerned because, in her eyes, her integrity has been attacked,” O’Keeffe said.

“To put it graphically what they have successfully done today is pretty much kill Bambi.

“Every Victorian jockey should be intently interested in the outcome of the appeal because the decision to find a three-kilo claiming apprentice, who has ridden one winner in the Melbourne metropolitan area, guilty today of an error of judgment is not our understanding of the intent of rule AR135b.

“Every rider at Bendigo today and Kyneton and Moonee Valley tomorrow and Sandown on Saturday and Cranbourne on Sunday should be fairly nervous going to the races in case they make an error.”

Rodder is expected to appeal the suspension.