Trainer Kerry Lee and jockey Jamie Moore have been successful in their appeals against the penalties handed out following the running and riding of Kings Monarch at Chepstow earlier this month.
Moore was banned for 14 days and Lee fined £3,000, after Kings Monarch was deemed not to have run on its merits in the Foresters By Steve White Novices' Hurdle. Sent off a 4-1 chance, Kings Monarch finished fourth, beaten just over 20 lengths,
The local stewards report had stated that Kings Monarch "appeared to be tenderly handled throughout before running on under minimal effort up the home straight".
Moore informed the stewards the horse can be keen and had a history of bleeding so his intention was to get him settled and give him a nice experience.
Despite Lee's representative concurring with the instructions and adding that Kings Monarch was running in a ring-bit to help him settle, the stewards took action, with the horse banned from running for 40 days.
Following Thursday's hearing, disciplinary panel chairman William Norris QC said in a statement: "The panel considered that, given this horse's history of bleeding and the fact that on its previous runs it had evidently been very keen, we think it was actually ridden on March 21, 2018 in such a way as to obtain the best possible placing in the circumstances.
"The panel think that the trainer's instructions and the jockey's riding were all intended to and did in fact achieve that outcome.
"Unlike the local stewards whose decision we think entirely understandable in the circumstances, the panel had the luxury of seeing many views of this race and also previous races in which this horse ran both ridden by Jamie Moore and also when ridden by Joshua Moore, and we accept Jamie Moore's evidence that the way in which he rode this horse on March 21 was designed to enable it to obtain the best possible placing.
"We note that it is unfortunate that the trainer had not notified the authorities of the horse's history as she should have done so the wider public was properly informed of all the circumstances, but that is not the breach of the rules with which she has been charged and we add it only as a comment in the light of the importance that the panel attaches to the public perception of the way races are run and horses are ridden."
