Neil Callan's bid for the apprentices' championship was hit yesterday when he was handed a 13-day ban under the "totting-up" procedure. The Irish youngster, currently level at the top of the claimers' table with Robert Winston on 30 winners, will be sidelined on each day there is Flat racing in Britain from Saturday until August 6th.
He was also handed a further six days' suspended sentence by the Jockey Club disciplinary committee, having been referred to Portman Square after passing the 15-day threshold with his third interference offence within 12 months.
The youngster, apprenticed to Karl Burke, was stood down for eight days at Bath last October and another seven at Wolverhampton in March and was referred to London for his riding of Stoppes Brow at Epsom a fortnight ago.
Burke said: "He will take it on the chin and hopefully it will not effect his chance of winning the apprentice title."
Conditional jockey Henry Oliver was also handed a 15-day ban, with six days deferred, after accumulating 20 days of suspension for whip offences in the past year.
Both young riders will also spend a day at the British Racing School on August 31st.
Callan can gain some compensation by partnering Hibernate to success in today's £10,000-added Tote Scoop6 Handicap at Sandown. The five-year-old, who flopped as a hurdler last winter, has found a new lease of life since joining Newmarket trainer Burke.
He won a Lingfield maiden in February but his real upward curve began at Musselburgh last month when he made all and gamely held off Ludere by a shorthead in a valuable handicap.
Hibernate then produced an almost carbon-copy performance in the competitive Cumberland Plate at Carlisle, a short-head again being the margin, this time from Over To You.
He failed to fire when 10th in the Old Newton Cup at Haydock but bounced back stronger than ever at Brighton last week.
Bowling along in front as usual, Hibernate left his rivals chasing shadows with a very easy six-length win over Arctic Fancy.
Sandown is a stiffer track but all courses seem to come alike to Hibernate - Carlisle also has a testing finish - and he can defy a 6lb penalty.
Son Of Snurge looks good in the Miller & Pycraft & Arnold Stakes. Paul Cole's colt had failed to progress after a promising debut second to Bergamo - solid form - at Bath last September.
But at Brighton last week when wearing blinkers for the first time, Son Of Snurge got off the mark in great style by 10 lengths from Noukari.
Richard Quinn showed why he is top jockey at Brighton with a brilliant piece of enterprise as he bowled out in front and Son Of Snurge never came back to the field.
Son Of Snurge shoulders a 5lb penalty today but his rating of 64 is 10lb lower than at the start of the season and he must be worth a chance to reproduce last week's blistering display.
The Listed Milcars Star Stakes is a hard race to call despite a small field. Hypnotise gets the nod as she impressed in her attitude when making all to beat Triple Wood by four lengths at Yarmouth. Michael Stoute's filly is the sort to continue to progress.
