Adam Wedge suspended for 14 days and Evan Williams fined £3,000 for schooling a horse on the racecourse

Adam Wedge has been suspended for 14 days and trainer Evan Williams fined £3,000 for schooling and conditioning a horse on the racecourse after Klic Boum finished seventh in the 2m maiden hurdle at Warwick.

Beaten a combined 104 lengths in three previous hurdle starts, the four-year-old was sent off at odds of 250-1 and was held up towards the rear of the field by Wedge.

Klic Boum jumped the first few hurdles well but looked outpaced at the fourth before starting to make headway when asked for an effort after the fourth-last.

Klic Boum looks outpaced going to the fourth flightCredit: Racing TV

After giving his mount a reminder three from home, Wedge appeared to handle him tenderly in the home straight, with the jockey explaining that Klic Boum hung right-handed. The pair finished 36 lengths behind winner Castle Ivers.

Klic Boum comes wide into the home straight before going on to finish seventh, beaten 36 lengthsCredit: Racing TV

Wedge was deemed to have failed to ride his mount in such a way that he could be seen to ask for timely, real and substantial effort to obtain the best possible placing.

The stewards decided that Wedge’s riding up the home straight was not hampered by the horse hanging right-handed as he had reported and that his body language on the horse was not that of a rider unable to ride his mount forwards.

The report read: "An inquiry was held into the running and riding of Klic Boum, ridden by Adam Wedge and trained by Evan Williams, which was held up towards the rear of the field, before being asked for an effort from after the fourth-last hurdle and then ridden under apparent tender handling in the home straight to finish seventh, beaten 36 lengths.

"Wedge began by explaining that his instructions were to drop Klic Boum in towards the rear of the field with the intention of getting the gelding to finish its race strongly. Having jumped well over the first few hurdles, Wedge continued that his mount was flat out as the field progressed down the hill and into the back straight, leaving him unable to make any ground on those in front at this stage of the race.

"Having jumped the third-last Wedge stated that he used his whip on one occasion and that Klic Boum began to hang right-handed, which it continued to do up the home straight. When questioned on his inactivity from turning in, the rider explained that this was down to the gelding hanging.

"The trainer’s representative was unaware of the instructions which had been given by the trainer over the phone on the morning of the race and therefore had no further opinion to offer. Wedge reported that he had spoken to the trainer over the telephone after the race and that the trainer was satisfied, with the ride according with those instructions.

"He reported that the focus was on getting the horse to finish its race strongly but having gone through the gelding’s previous runs with the rider, there appeared to be little difference in the tactics and/or riding of Klic Boum, who despite already running the required three times over hurdles as stated in paragraph 13 of the ‘Weights and Handicapping Code’, had not been allocated a handicap mark."

Klic Boum was suspended from running in any race for 40 days and Williams was fined £290 for failing to inform his representative of the rider’s instructions.

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