BHA dismisses Hughes appeal over India ban - By Lee Mottershed I Racingpost
Posted on - 21 Apr 2012
BHA dismisses Hughes appeal over India ban
By Lee Mottershed
racingpost
LINGFIELD's fixture on May 1 is likely to provide Richard Hughes with his first rides of the British season after the jockey's attempts to persuade the BHA not to reciprocate the 50-day suspension he incurred in India were unsuccessful.
Hughes, who had been hoping to resume at Newbury on Saturday, was on Friday trying for the second time to convince the BHA not to ratify the ban, handed to him by the stewards of the Royal Western India Turf Club following a race at Mumbai's Mahalaxmi racecourse in February.
The jockey's first hearing with the BHA disciplinary board resulted in failure, as did Friday's meeting with the regulator's appeal board.
Jamie Stier, BHA director of raceday operations and regulation, said: "We would like to register on record that we recognise the frustration felt by Richard Hughes about this episode while at the same time endorsing the findings of both the disciplinary panel and the appeal board, who concluded that under the rules of racing the correct decision was to uphold the suspension imposed by the Royal Western India Turf Club.
"The BHA stands behind the principle of reciprocity of penalties among recognised international racing bodies. Without reciprocity there is a risk of there being noeffective measures to deter visiting participants from breaching the rules of the respective authority.
"Similar applications to those lodged by Richard Hughes are, thankfully, few and far between. However, we will be looking to see if there are any lessons to learn which may assist the handling of such matters in the future."
Hughes, who has vowed never to ride in India again, had been found guilty of "not following the trainer's specific instructions and thereby not allowing his mount Jacqueline Smile to run on its merits".
Hughes tweeted: "Disappointed on losing appeal. Still don't know why I'm banned, though. I thought I could have confidence in UK system on fairness."
The suspension resulted in Richard Hannon's stable jockey missing the winning ride on Trumpet Major in Thursday's Novae Bloodstock Insurance Craven Stakes.
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