RACING: Jonjo O'Neill has decided not to appeal against the two fines he picked up over the running and riding of Gala Performance (£800) at Haydock and Madalyar (£3,400) at Fakenham on Saturday. The Jackdaws Castle trainer was hit with a fine of £3,400 - the biggest ever meted out by racecourse stewards - at Fakenham over the running and riding of 3 to 1 favourite Madalyar in the Graves Of Briston Juvenile Novices' Hurdle.

The market leader, ridden by Ron Flavin, ran on to finish fifth, beaten around 15 lengths by the winner Almnadia, after being held up and some racegoers reacted angrily to Madalyar's performance, knocking on the stewards' room door to complain. Following the subsequent inquiry O'Neill was fined, conditional jockey Flavin banned for 21 days (December 26th to 28th, 30th and 31st, January 1st to 4th, 6th to 11th and 13th to 18th) and Madalyar suspended from running for 40 days, starting today.

At Haydock O'Neill was fined £800 and jockey Liam Cooper was suspended for five days (December 26th, 27th, 28th, 30th and 31st) over the running and riding of Gala Performance, who finished fifth, beaten about 7½ lengths in the Saint Ciel Novices' Hurdle.

Gala Performance was also banned from running for 30 days - December 17th to January 15th inclusive - the stewards having decided that the gelding had been tenderly ridden throughout. They found that O'Neill and Cooper had breached the Rules of Racing governing schooling in public. Cooper will miss the ride on Intersky Falcon at Kempton on St Stephen's Day.