Group One-winning jockey Pat Cosgrave has been suspended for 28 days after getting caught on the line when failing to ride out hot favourite Concorde ($1.16) at Chelmsford overnight.
Cosgrave had the mile race in somewhat safe keeping for most of the straight, swinging off the George Boughey-trained 3YO gelding – who was on the three-day back-up from a 4.25L win at Redcar on Monday.
The jockey appeared to be ensuring it was as effortless as possible for the son of Sixties Icon, as Cosgrave barely moved on him after they turned for home.
Cosgrave thought he was home in the shadows of the post, only for My Roxanne – ridden by jockey Ben Robinson – to sneak up the inside and pinch the race by a nose.
Unsurprisingly, the stewards dished out a penalty for Cosgrave, suspending him for 28 days ‘for failing to take all reasonable and permissible measures to obtain the best possible placing on a horse that would have finished first’.
Speaking afterwards to Racing TV, Cosgrave said: “Obviously I sat last in the race … I passed all the horses in the straight and just made a judgement of error.
“Made a mistake and the eventual winner’s gone up my inside, he caught me unaware, big mistake and first of all I’d like to apologise to the connections, to Mr and Mrs Roy, my trainer George Boughey … it’s a bit embarrassing really, but I just have to take it on the chin.
“I’m really embarrassed and sorry for the connections, the horse should’ve won.
“I have to accept it was completely my fault, it’s very unfortunate for connections and all concerned, but I’m very, very sorry for what happened.”
This article first appeared on punters.com and was reproduced with permission.
