Cowley suspended for 42-day ban after breaching non-trier rules

Conditional jockey Patrick Cowley has been handed a 42-day ban for failing to achieve the highest possible position on Get Supreme at Fontwell in September.

A disciplinary panel on Friday considered whether Cowley asked for sufficient effort of the horse, and also asked whether trainer Brian Barr had breached rules by not giving the claiming rider enough instruction.

The panel came to the conclusion that the ride was intentional but not pre-planned, with the horse subsequently banned from running for 40 days by raceday stewards.

Cowley told the panel: “I’ve learned things about the horse and when I have asked him a question in the past he hasn’t followed through but faded away when placed under pressure.

“I had that very much in mind at Fontwell. I think not being as vigorous as I might be on another horse, and actually trying to support him as much as I can, helped the horse finish better than previously.

“I rode him to achieve his best possible finishing position.”

Barr – who wasn’t found to have breached any rules – added: “Get Supreme has a mind of his own. He’s shown no winning form and might not in his future.

“It was my gut feeling Patrick did the best he could. He did not try to stop Get Supreme and there’s nothing sinister at play here.

“I’ve worked with Patrick for a long time. I trust him and he’s done what he thought was best.

“To my mind, he’s accepted defeat early, as have the riders around him after the last. They’re all beaten horses. His body language at that point is the same as those other jockeys.

“Could he have finished a lot closer with a more vigorous ride? Quite possibly. He was honest after the race. I can call him a liar and sack him but I won’t sack someone for doing what they felt was best.”