Leading rider Robert Havlin has been banned for 21 days after finishing second aboard Stowel at the track on Wednesday evening, with the Lingfield stewards judging the rider to have given his horse a soft ride.
Havlin has been John & Thady Gosden's second string rider for a long period of time now and on Wednesday was playing second fiddle to stablemate Polling Day, who went off as the 2/9 favourite under Frankie Dettori.
Turning for home it looked as though the odds of fav was home and hosed, when Stowel started to creep closer and it looked that if the whip was used he would surely landed the event.
Polling Day went on to take the event in the end by a head, with the Gosden's taking home a 1-2, but after the race Havlin came under scrutiny for his ride on Stowel who was making his debut and the stewards concluded he should be given a 21 day ban.
Rab Havlin has received a 21-day ban for this ride aboard close second Stowell…
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(Credit ATR) The Stewards concluded that “an apparently tender hands and heels ride” round the bend and in the straight was given to the horse by the rider.
With Havlin stating that he was told “to settle the colt and ride him to obtain his best possible position”, adding Stowell “was a fragile type who had a high knee action, and that John Gosden had instructed him to ride the colt hands and heels and not to use his whip”.
The trainers’ representative said they were happy with the ride and pleased with overall effort given from Stowell on debut, but the stewards thought otherwise and stated that Havlin had not taken all reasonable and permissible measures to ensure his horse obtained the best possible position in the race.
Subsequently Havlin was given a 21 day ban, which rules him out from May 5th-8th and 10th-26th inclusive.