The joy of coming second in the Melbourne Cup for jockey Patrick Moloney took a hit post-race when he copped a massive $20,000 fine for “careless riding” in the run to the line at Flemington.
Moloney piloted Geelong Cup winner, Emissary into second spot behind Gold Trip, a run that netted connections $1.1m.
Of that, $55,000 was headed to Moloney, but in the aftermath of the races stewards charged him with careless riding during a tussle with Duais, which finished 18th, around the 600m mark.
Moloney pleaded guilty to the charge after replays showed he shifted to run clear of Duais, causing issues for a number of other horses.
The domino effect of Moloney’s effort to get his runner into the clear caused three horses to be significantly checked leading up to the final straight and earnt the hoop the penalty.
Moloney pleaded guilty to the charge.
On top of the financial penalty, Moloney was also suspended for 15 meetings in a ban that will start after Thursday’s VRC Oaks meeting.
After the race Moloney was full of praise for his horse that loomed large in the run to the post but couldn’t reel in the winner.
“What a horse. Great run. He gave me a lovely ride. The plan was to ride him quiet, conserve all his energy,” he said.
“We did that and he ran a massive race. Beaten by a better horse on the day.”
Follow jockey Daniel Moor, who came sixth on Daqiansweet Junior, was also banned for seven meetings and fined $2000 for excessive use of his whip.
