Nick Scholfield plans to appeal against 14-day ban for riding 'lame' horse

Nick Scholfield has said he is likely to appeal against the 14-day suspension issued to him by stewards at Chepstow on Friday after they deemed he failed to dismount a horse he had pulled up who had gone lame.

Scholfield, who recently returned to the saddle following a broken leg he sustained in a freak accident at Fontwell in November, was riding the Paul Henderson-trained Big Man Clarence in the 2m3½f handicap hurdle and pulled up the 80-1 shot before the fourth-last flight.

However, according to the BHA stewards report, the Grade 1-winning jockey rode the ten-year-old down the home straight after pulling up having appeared to have gone lame, and the veterinary officer stated a post-race examination revealed Big Man Clarence was lame on his left-fore.

Following interviews with Scholfield, Henderson and viewings of the incident, the jockey was handed a two-week suspension, which will run from February 19 to March 4 subject to appeal.

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Scholfield did not want to comment on the incident when approached by the Racing Post, but confirmed that he is likely to appeal against the decision.

The trainer defended Scholfield over the incident and said: "He was pulled up because he found the going very tough and was fatigued – he hadn't run for two years.

"Nick trotted him away and he wasn't moving quite as well because of the ground – apparently he made a comment to James Best that they couldn't even trot through the ground that well because it was so bad.

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"He walked him all the way and I saw the footage and it was like was he lame or was he not, or was it just bad ground that was making him slightly uneven."

Henderson also said Big Man Clarence's condition worsened once he was off the track and that Scholfield had the horse's welfare interests as his priority.

"When we got him back to the stables he deteriorated, so I think by the time of him pulling up there was a graduation of lameness, and I'm certain that if Nick had an inkling that the horse was lame he'd have got off him," Henderson added. "He'd have not ridden that horse back knowing full well it was lame.

Nick Scholfield: has formed partnerships with classy horses like Melodic RendezvousCredit: Alan Crowhurst

"Nick has been to ride the horse since he's come back from his injury and the last thing he'd want to do was knowingly ride a lame horse back. He thought it was the uneven ground, not that the horse was in pain."

Scholfield has enjoyed four Grade 1 victories and formed notable partnerships with classy hurdlers Irving and Melodic Rendezvous.

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