Sport

Spencer free to ride Yeats in trial

Jamie Spencer will be able to ride Vodafone Derby favourite Yeats in his final prep race at Leopardstown after his four-day ban…

Fri Apr 30 2004 - 01:00

Jamie Spencer will be able to ride Vodafone Derby favourite Yeats in his final prep race at Leopardstown after his four-day ban for careless riding was allowed to stand yesterday.

Spencer was handed the suspension by the Navan stewards last Saturday after he appeared to bring down Sahara Sonnet while riding All Too Beautiful in the Listed Salsabil Stakes.

Lady O'Reilly, owner of Sahara Sonnet, appealed to the Turf Club against the severity of the sentence and hoped to get Spencer's charge upped to dangerous riding.

That would have meant a longer suspension, ruling him out of the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial on May 9th and, possibly, the Irish Guineas meeting the following weekend.

READ MORE

The Appeals and Referrals Committee heard evidence from stewards' secretary Lorcan Wyer,Lady O'Reilly, Sahara Sonnet's jockey Michael Kinane, her trainer John Oxx, All Too Beautiful's trainer Aidan O'Brien and Spencer himself.

After considering the evidence and viewing videos of the race, the committee dismissed Lady O'Reilly's appeal and confirmed the dates of suspension as May 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th.

Spencer will be on board hot favourite One Cool Cat, who yesterday headed a field of 14 declared for the first Classic of the season, the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday. The son of Storm Cat, a general 2 to 1 favourite, has been drawn in stall 13. Trainer Aidan O'Brien will also saddle the outsider Tumblebrutus. O'Brien is seeking his third success in the race having struck with King Of Kings (1998) and Rock Of Gibraltar (2002).

All the leading fancies stood their ground. Barry Hills' Haafhd, an impressive winner of the Craven Stakes over the Rowley Mile two weeks ago, will be in stall four, while David Elsworth's unbeaten Greenham Stakes victor Salford City is drawn six.

Godolphin will be double-handed through Snow Ridge (drawn 14) and Golden Sahara (five).

As well as the two O'Brien colts, there are two other Irish-trained hopefuls - Dermot Weld's Grey Swallow (drawn three) and the John Oxx-trained Azamour (11). Robert Collet's Whipper (eight) will bid to be the first French-trained winner since Pennekamp nine years ago.

Peak To Creek misses the race as he was found to have a slight temperature.