'It's embarrassing' - Callum Shepherd says loss of balance to blame as he wins appeal over 18-day ban

Callum Shepherd spoke of his relief on Tuesday after a controversial 18-day ban handed to him by the Kempton stewards was quashed on appeal. The 27-year-old, who is having his best season, will now be free to take part in valuable races over the next three weekends and maintain his association with quality horses like Quddwah, Bay City Roller and Parole D'Oro.

"I'm obviously pleased and grateful," Shepherd said while travelling north for Newcastle's evening card. "It's the type of thing that hangs over you and it's nice to have got it dealt with and to have got the right result."

Failing to ride out to the line was the charge initially levelled at Shepherd after he rose out of the saddle in the final two strides of a 7f handicap while leading on Thorntonledale Max. Flavour Maker finished strongly to dead-heat with Shepherd's mount, which the raceday stewards felt would not have happened if the jockey had maintained vigour to the line.

But Shepherd explained that his rising in his stirrups was the result of losing his balance and falling out of rhythm with his horse as he used his whip for the final time, when he described himself as "crashing" down into the saddle and then bouncing out of it.

"It's embarrassing, frankly, but fortunately it is unusual," he told the panel, adding that he couldn't think of a previous occasion when he had done something similar while fighting out a finish. 

"It's then very hard, in the fraction of a second you have, to regain that flow through the line. But I think it's commitment. I was just trying to get him home and I've lost my rhythm, lost my balance.

"I look all over the place, it looks bad. It's unusual and completely unintended.

"It's embarrassing to watch. But what's crucial is that we didn't lose any momentum whatsoever."

• Member's Club subscribers can watch the replay here

Barrister Louis Weston argued on behalf of the BHA that the original ban should stand. In his view, it could not be right that Shepherd should escape the consequences of one mistake by admitting to a different one.

"A jockey's foot may slip out of the iron," he said. "That would be acceptable. But here is Mr Shepherd, a very good rider, instead of riding through the line as he knows he ought to, fails to ride through the line. 

Callum Shepherd: "It's embarrassing to watch. But what's crucial is that we didn't lose any momentum whatsoever."Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

"There's no reason for the mistake, there's no exterior cause. He doesn't try and get down again."

But the panel disagreed, chairman James O'Mahony declaring: "We accept the reality of life in sport and in racing that things happen very fast. If every time a jockey made an error of judgement, there was to be a hearing about it, well, then hearings would go on every day and forever.

"The rising up in the saddle may have looked a lot worse than it in fact was, once you really look at it in such detail as we have. There was an acceptable reason for any appearance of not riding out, as the evidence has shown us."

Shepherd's ban originally ruled him out of Saturday's Sprint Cup at Haydock as well as the St Leger and the Ayr Gold Cup fixtures over the following fortnight. He now hopes to be able to ride Parole D'Oro in next week's Flying Scotsman at Doncaster. On the Saturday of that week, there may be competition for his services as Quddwah, on whom he won the Summer Mile, is entered for a Group 2 at Leopardstown while Bay City Roller, who has a perfect record under Shepherd, is in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster.

"It's been a great year and I've worked really hard for it to be so," the jockey said. "I've put myself in the position where I'm riding nice horses. It would have been pretty hard to watch from the sidelines, now that we've come to the last meaningful part of the season, as horses you've crafted a relationship with be ridden by other people. That would have been tough.

"I'm thrilled to be able to get on with the job and try to ride some more winners."

Callum Shepherd's rollercoaster year

March 8

Wins the Bahrain Triple Crown on the Sheikh Nasser Al Khalifa-owned Isle Of Jura, who becomes the first horse to achieve the feat.

May 11

Partners Ambiente Friendly to an all-the-way success in the Lingfield Derby Trial.

May 22

Jocked off Ambiente Friendly for Robert Havlin with the owners wanting “more experience” in the saddle for the Derby.

June 22

Rides his first Royal Ascot winner on Isle Of Jura in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes.

July 11

Sustains head and facial injuries in a fall at Ascot.

July 12

Wins the Group 2 Summer Mile on Quddwah.

August 21

Suspended by Kempton stewards for 18 days for failing to ride to the finish when dead-heating in a 7f handicap on Thorntonledale Max.

September 3

Successfully overturns 18-day suspension.

Read this next:

'I simply did not stop riding' - Callum Shepherd 'absolutely stunned' at 18-day ban and questions photo-finish 

BHA issues statement supporting judge's decision at Kempton after jockey Callum Shepherd questions dead-heat 

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