Jimmy Fortune will miss the biggest week of Classic trials after being hit with a seven-day ban for riding an ill-judged race at Brighton yesterday.
Fortune, whose career over the last two years has been littered with spells of suspensions, was red carded after riding Neville Callaghan's Port St Charles into a strong-finishing third in the six-furlong Thoroughbred Investments Handicap.
His ban, which begins on the day of the Lingfield Derby and Oaks trials, takes in the entire Dante meeting at York (May 12th, 14th-19th).
Fortune, who told the stewards his instructions were to cover the horse up and come with a late run, was initially undecided about an appeal. "I don't know," he said. "The horse is a four-year-old maiden. What more can you say."
Callaghan, who escaped any censure, said: "I feel very sorry for Jimmy Fortune. He's got seven days for nothing. The horse has to be ridden that way and what I ought to do is bring him back here next time for this 0-70 maiden and run him from the front to prove my point. But you just don't do that.
"Jimmy's suffered and now he's going to miss the Dante. And he's done nothing wrong."
