Nick Hall produced a brilliant ride to win Saturday’s Caulfield Cup but his handling in an earlier race is likely to cost him the chance of winning the Cox Plate.
Hall, who partnered Fawkner to victory in Saturday’s $2.5 million Caulfield Cup, was slapped with a 10-meeting careless riding suspension for causing interference in the opening race on Scarlet Billows.
He said he would “have a very good look” at whether to appeal the severity of the ban in a bid to return for next Saturday’s $3 million Cox Plate where he would to ride one of Fawkner’s owner Lloyd Williams’ runners.
The ban rules Hall not only out of the Cox Plate but also the Group One Manikato Stakes on Friday night where he was to ride Shamexpress and also Wednesday’s Geelong Cup on Tanby.
Stewards ruled the carelessness was in the mid-range but the jockey’s poor record of five previous suspensions this year weighed against him.
“What is starting to trouble you now is your record,” chief steward Terry Bailey told Hall.
“This is your sixth charge this year and you’ve only been back for 13 rides since you were suspended last time.”
Hall was one of four jockeys suspended from the Caulfield Cup with Glen Boss, Rhys McLeod and Joe Bowditch also outed.
McLeod’s 12-meeting suspension for interference aboard Ethiopia in the Caulfield Cup coupled with another suspension from Friday night, means his ban runs until the day after the Melbourne Cup.