Jockey Tadhg O'Shea gets ban reduced by one day

The Irish champion jockey was initially handed a two-fixture ban after riding carelessly on Mark To Market at Meydan Racecourse earlier this month.

Tadhg O' Shea had to settle for a runner-up finish in the Arabian Triple Crown. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

Tadhg O'Shea was partially successful at overturning his two-fixture ban at his hearing with the Emirates Racing Authority.

The Irish rider was adjudged to have ridden carelessly on Mark To Market at Meydan Racecourse earlier this month but was handed only a one-day suspension, which will be at the Dubai racecourse this Thursday.

"The appeal board upheld the steward's decision but reduced the penalty by one day. O'Shea misses racing on Thursday," the Emirates Racing Authority said, in a statement.

O'Shea added to his haul on Sunday when partnering Errada to victory at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, but had to settle for the runner-up spot on Shayel Aldhabi in the feature second round of the Arabian Triple Crown and Hab Nessnas in the Emirates Colts Classic.

Richard Mullen, his chief rival, won the final race on the card aboard Malthouse to leave him a winner behind O'Shea, who now has 23 victories. Wayne Smith is on 20, while Paul Hanagan is on 18 in his first full UAE season in Dubai as Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid's retained rider.

Hanagan leads the jockeys' standings at Meydan this season with 11 successes, ahead of Godolphin's Silvestre De Sousa on 10 and Mullen on nine.

Godolphin appear to have a jockey shortage this week as De Sousa and Ahmed Ajtebi are also on the sidelines due to suspensions.

De Sousa incurred a three-day holiday for his ride on Flag Officer on February 16, while Ajtebi picked up three days for his ride on Filfil in the UAE 2,000 Guineas three days earlier.

Last week Hanagan made a rare outing in the royal blue colours of Godolphin at Meydan and is in a position to be the prime beneficiary from the absences of De Sousa and Ajtebi.

Hanagan rode Yaa Wayl in the Godolphin white cap and Spellwork in the red cap last week at Meydan and the Minister for Finance is without an entrant in either of the two big races on Thursday.

Mahmoud Al Zarooni has entered Filfil and Now Spun in the Meydan Classic, a Listed contest over 1,600m, while the master of Marmoom stables also has Lovely Pass and Music Chart entered in the UAE Oaks. Saeed Bin Suroor has Shuruq entered in the fillies' Classic.

Elsewhere, Marco Botti has reported that Planteur has come out of his prep for the Dubai World Cup with flying colours and that his six-year-old remains on course for the world's most valuable race.

Planteur shaved almost half a second off the course record at Lingfield Park, England, on Saturday when making all under jockey Adam Kirby to win by a neck.

Planteur will try to better his third-placed finish in last season's World Cup by running off the plane as Botti intends to fly his charge over only a week before Dubai World Cup night, staged on March 30.

"I know the margin wasn't very much but we have to be pleased with the outcome and he will come on a stone," Botti said. "There is always a risk of them getting beaten but I wanted to leave plenty on him to work with for his next race – he was only 85 per cent there."

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