Big names to Ascot
September 17, 2014In the interest of buyers
September 18, 2014JOCKEY Pat Cosgrave has resisted a demand for nearly £35,000 (R630,000) towards the costs of his appeal against a ban imposed by the Emirates Racing Authority (ERA) following his ride on the Mike de Kock-trained Anaerobio in the Gr1 Jebel Hatta at the 2014 Dubai Carnival. He was found guilty of improper riding.
Cosgrave has been placed on the UAE’s forfeit list, which in a worst case scenario means that he could receive a police escort to a British Airways Boeing if he tries to pass into Dubai in anything other than a secret submarine.
The ERA, led by Australian John Zucal, reduced Cosgrave’s original sentence from a ban of six months to four months, but the British Racing Authority (BHA) scrapped it completely after an inquiry, in which Cosgrave’s legal team argued that the ERA’s findings had been “… against the laws of natural justice..”, “perverse and unjust” and smacked of bias.
If Ma’am’s BHA believes Pat Cosgrave is not guilty, why is Grunter John and the ERA trying to prevent the Gr1-winning jockey from returning to Dubai?
Being placed on the forfeit by another jurisdiction that is a signatory to the articles of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities should result in automatic disqualification for Cosgrave but the jockey has now submitted another application for the suspension not to be reciprocated in Britain.
The BHA said: “BHA has been notified by representatives of Pat Cosgrave that the jockey has been placed on the forfeit list of the Emirates Racing Authority.
“Under BHA’s Rules of Racing such a development would result in the individual being treated as a disqualified person in this country. However, Cosgrave has exercised his right to make an application that the penalty not be reciprocated and he has been granted a stay with regard to the enforcement of the disqualification until close of play Monday 22 September, by which time he should have provided BHA with the grounds on which his application would be heard.”
Mike de Kock has thrown his full support behind Cosgrave. In fact, when faced with the question as to whether Anaerobio could have won the race at Cosgrave’s appeal, De Kock responded: “I have been training for 30 years, I will give up the game if that horse could have won, I’ll be honest with you.” – extracts from tabonline.co.za.
Note: Views expressed or assumed and interpretations of events are by an independent editor and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mike de Kock.
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3 Comments
Reading this case makes me wonder how manny jockeys or trainers or owners over the years in differfent countries were victimised or unfairly ‘found guilty’ of offences by stipes police with chips on their shoulder given too much authority and abusing it.
The ERA are about to make fools of themselves again. Read this section from the Jockeys Association’;s com,mentary about ERA, based on BHA’s ruling:
“The discrepancy between what was said on the day of the appeal hearing and the Appeal Panel’s reasons is extraordinary, particularly given the Appeal Panel had the benefit of the transcript when producing their reasons. ”
There will be more inquiries and I think (hope) it ends in suspension for the members of Kangaroo court.
No doubt, that the punishment of Cosgrave is unfair and too harsh.
But nobody can be in any doubt, that Cosgrave broke the rules of racing.
Seen Ballydoyle and Godolphin do the same though, but it’s against the rules anyway.