Murtagh to miss two days of Royal Ascot meeting

Careless riding by Johnny Murtagh at the 2009 Derby Festival has seen him receive a two day ban for the forthcoming Royal Meeting at Ascot.

Murtagh incurred the penalty during his ride in the Coronation Stakes on Friday, when he allowed Frozen Fire to close in on the rail, thereby physically impeding the progress of racehorses attempting to make progress on the inside rail.

A stewards enquiry was launched following the race, and it was found that Murtagh had prevented Buccellati from making the most of a strong dash up the inside. As a result of the inquiry Murtagh will miss the final two days of the 2009 Royal Ascot meeting.

Murtagh was not alone in incurring a ban this weekend. Other casualties of the Derby Festival included Jamie Spencer, who recieved a one day ban for his ride on Epsom Oaks winner Sariska, and Ryan Moore who received a two day ban for overuse of the whip during his winning run on Ask in the Coronation Cup.

The results of the stewards enquiries means that Aidan O’Brien will not be able to draw on the expertise of his first choice jockey, Murtagh, in two of the Royal Meeting’s key races – the Coronation Stakes and the Golden Jubilee Stakes.