Watch: 21-day ban for Philip Byrnes after Limerick incident

Philip Byrnes was banned for 21 days and his father Charles had Marian Avenue disqualified after the jockey ‘failed to correct his mount’ before the penultimate hurdle, at which point he badly hampered a key rival and forced another to be carried out. 

The 11-8 favourite Marian Avenue looked in control of the two-and-a-half-mile handicap hurdle but the mount of Byrnes drifted on the approach to the obstacle, severely hampering the Danny Mullins-ridden Qaasid and forcing the Sean O’Keeffe-ridden Friar Hogan outside of the wing of the obstacle. 

Qaasid ran on well to be beaten by a small margin, but after a stewards’ enquiry lasting over half an hour, he was promoted to first with original winner Marian Avenue disqualified. 

"The stewards were satisfied that Byrnes failed to correct his mount at a point in the race that was in close proximity to the hurdle and as such rode in a way which was far below that of a competent and careful rider, and where it would be obvious to such a competent and careful rider that riding in that way was likely to endanger the safety of another horse or rider." 

The incident is the latest moment of controversy for the yard, which earlier this year had to contest an IHRB referral committee investigation into whether Philip Byrnes' unseat from Redwood Queen at Wexford was a deliberate act. The charge was dismissed.