Post-race 'verbal altercation' between warring jockeys caught on TV

A verbal confrontation between jockeys Page Fuller and Lorcan Williams, captured on TV cameras, left both nursing four-day bans after the stewards took exception to their behaviour.

The angry words and finger pointing came after Fuller had won the handicap hurdle for conditional jockeys on Our Dot’s Baby, with Williams finishing down the field on Confirmation Bias.

Williams declined to comment on the dispute when contacted by the Racing Post, but appeared to be angered when Fuller eased her mount into contention before the turn for home, which led to Confirmation Bias becoming slightly unbalanced.

The animated exchange between Lorcan Williams (blue cap) and Page Fuller (orange cap)Credit: Racing TV

The Racing TV cameras picked up on the episode, which the stewards described as a "verbal altercation" and one worthy of punishment that will leave both jockeys on the sidelines from March 20-23.

Fuller, who reasoned the better ground had helped Our Dot's Baby, could not be contacted following the race.

Nicholls backing Cobden for title

Paul Nicholls knows all about being champion trainer and could soon be plotting how to make his stable jockey Harry Cobden a title-holder after a double for the pair.

Cobden began the day level on 100 winners with Harry Skelton, but nine adrift of reigning champion Brian Hughes.

The rider went about changing that by steering Paul Vogt's Siroco Jo and Sonny Crockett, who runs in the distinctive colours of Malcolm Denmark, to victory.

Siroco Jo soars over the first hurdle under the title-chasing Harry CobdenCredit: Edward Whitaker

"Of course we'll help him," said Nicholls. "The title race will change every day and I keep telling Harry that we'll keep doing what we're doing and, after the Grand National meeting at Aintree in April, if we've got a serious chance, then we'll really kick for it.

"You can't just be running horses for the sake of trying to win it though. If our horses stay in form, he's got an outside chance."

Nicholls, soon to be a 12-time champion himself, added: "One thing we will do is have a lot of runners at Aintree and we'll keep plenty to go to Ayr's big meeting as well and Sandown on the final day of the season.

"I was going through the programme book last night and could find something for nearly every race at Aintree."

Results, replays and analysis

If you want the day's top stories . . .

Gordon Elliott banned for one year with six months of the sentence suspended

Martin Pipe: 'He was only a 66-1 shot because the trainer was an idiot'

Clare Balding: 'I was in a complete mess – it was really close to the surface'

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