Jockey
was suspended for 14 days and trainer
fined £3,000 for “schooling and conditioning a horse on the racecourse” after Klic Boum finished seventh at
.
The four-year-old was sent off a 250-1 shot for the Cheltenham Supporting Breeders’ Day “National Hunt” Maiden Hurdle and came home 36 lengths adrift of the winner Castle Ivers in the two-mile affair.
Wedge reported his mount had hung right-handed, but the stewards inquired into the performance.
The rider explained he had been told to drop his mount in with “the intention of getting the gelding to finish its race strongly”, but the rider felt his mount was “flat out” and unable to make up ground with the front runners, with a resulting use of the whip causing the horse to hang in the home straight.
Williams’ representative said he was “unaware” of the riding instructions and Wedge said he had spoken to Williams on the phone after the race, with the trainer “satisfied” he had ridden as told.
The stewards report said: “Wedge was suspended for 14 days and Williams fined £3,000 for schooling and conditioning the horse on the racecourse in that Wedge had failed to ride his mount in such a way that he could be seen to ask for timely, real and substantial effort to obtain the best possible placing on Klic Boum.
“The stewards formed the opinion that the Wedge’s riding up the home straight was not hampered by the horse hanging right-handed as he had reported and that his body language on the horse was not that of a rider unable to ride his mount forwards.”
Wedge’s ban runs from December 5-18 inclusive, while Williams was fined an additional £290 for “failing to inform his representative of the rider’s instructions” and Klic Boum suspended from running for 40 days.