Tony McCOY was an angry man at Leicester yesterday after being hit with a two-day ban that will force him on the sidelines for an important weekend.
The champion will be sitting out the action on Friday and Saturday of next week for using his whip with excessive force on first-race winner Ciara's Prince. It means he will miss the ride on Gloria Victis in the Racing Post Chase at Kempton.
Fast-approaching his 200th winner of the season, he was clearly upset by the stewards' action. "I don't want to make any comment about it - it just would not be a good idea," he said.
McCoy found himself in trouble despite giving the awkward customer Ciara's Prince a vintage ride. Jonjo O'Neill's charge was in front from the third fence in the Wren Handicap Chase but needed plenty of driving a long way from home for an 11-length win.
Stewards' secretary Geoff Forster said: "The question the stewards had to ask themselves was the whip use reasonable and necessary over the distance of ground involved. He started on the stable bend and he made contact at least 20 times. The stewards realised that it was a difficult animal but it was just beyond the level of acceptability."
There was at least a happy ending for McCoy as he went onto complete a 20 to 1 double - taking his tally for the season to 197 - when Pipe's Fayez captured the Oadby Handicap Hurdle.
