Banned McCoy to miss Wetherby’s Charlie Hall

The 16-times champion jockey was riding Sharadiyn in the Betfair Supports Spinal Research Handicap Hurdle when he and eight other riders ignored a member of the groundstaff waving a yellow flag, which denotes a race should be stopped.

Head groundsman Ian Ward attempted to void the race as the stricken Ashburton Lad was lying between the third-last and the penultimate hurdle.

Ward was working within his remit, but nine jockeys still finished the race, with Cunning Clarets, ridden by Brian Hughes, first past the post.

The offending riders – Hughes, McCoy, Graham Lee, Danny Cook, Denis O’Regan, Alex Voy, Jonathon Bewley, Paddy Brennan and Brian Toomey – will be sidelined between October 26 to November 4.

Dougie Costello’s mount, Favours Brave, pulled up, the Tom Messenger-ridden Glorybe refused to race, while Campbell Gillies was on Ashburton Lad.

Costello, Messenger and Gillies therefore escaped any punishment. The suspended jockeys will miss the Charlie Hall meeting back at Wetherby on October 29.

A sign in the weighing room, explaining the yellow flag procedure, reads: “If at any stage during a race you see an official waving a yellow flag, this is the sign to immediately pull up.”

The stewards also held a further enquiry into why the stop-race flag had been deployed, but forwarded their evidence on to the British Horseracing Authority.

Wetherby racecourse chief executive Jonjo Sanderson said: “Fiona (Needham, clerk of the course) was trying to contact Ian Ward, our head groundsman, on the walkie-talkie.

“Unfortunately, for some reason Ian could not hear her.

“Ian was concerned that the runners would not be able to get past the stricken horse and he made a judgment call.

“In his roll as head groundsman he is well within his rights to make such a call.

“He was in the correct place and was waving his yellow flag and blowing a whistle.

“It is in his remit to make such a decision. He has held his current position for at least four years. Ian has not made a mistake, it was a judgment call.”

Cook, who secured a double on the card aboard King Zeal and Amtired, said: “I’m very annoyed and very frustrated.

“There were flags all over the place and no-one knew what they were doing.

“I saw a yellow flag but then a bit further on I saw a hazard flag so we carried on as the hurdle was not dolled out.

“I only caught a glimpse of the yellow flag.

“He (Ward) should have been further out so we could all see what was happening clearly.”

McCoy and the other guilty jockeys refused to comment.

The feature race on the card, the Bobby Renton Handicap Chase, impressively went to Persian Gates.

Sent off the 9-2 joint-favourite, the Chris Bealby-trained seven-year-old travelled sweetly throughout for Messenger and drew clear of Safari Adventures to win by eight lengths.

“Our horses are in good form and he’s improved over the summer,” said Bealby.

There was also a two-day ban (October 26-27) for Robert Walford after he won the opening Rachel Wright Memorial Hurdle on 40-1 shot Chadford, trained by his father, Tim. The stewards deemed he had “used his whip when clearly winning”.