Brian Hughes championship bid hit after leader is given 'bizarre' three-day ban

Brian Hughes had his jockeys' title push hit by a three-day ban in a "bizarre" ruling after riding his second 'winner' of the day at Carlisle on Monday.

Hughes had teamed up with trainer James Ewart to seemingly complete a double together with runaway last-race winner Bingo D'Olivate after the odds-on success of Sao Maxence had taken Hughes 17 winners clear of main title rival Richard Johnson.

That changed when Hughes weighed in light and the clerk of the scales objected to the stewards, who held an inquiry that involved a frantic search for what was a missing weight cloth with 4-5lb of lead. Hughes was handed his ban as he failed to draw the correct weight and will be suspended between March 2-4. Bingo D'Olivate was disqualified and the race awarded to 20-1 shot Dequall.

Hughes has already lodged an appeal against the ban.

Ewart, who was fined £750, said: "The weight cloth was found on the sand walk-in from the course after a search. That weighs 3lb and I think there was 4-5lb of lead.

"Unfortunately there was no camera to prove Bingo D'Olivate had carried it throughout the race although John Grossick [course photographer] said he had the weight cloth on jumping the last.

"This has never happened with one of my horses and I will be appealing it and bizarrely I don't understand the rules that Brian gets a ban – he has done nothing wrong."

Hughes's ban came on the same day Johnson confirmed it was very much a case of so far, so good as he recovers from the broken arm he suffered at Exeter four weeks ago, with the champion jockey confident he will be back in plenty of time for the Cheltenham Festival.

Four-time champion Johnson will know more at the end of this week after his arm, which was plated following the fall, has been x-rayed again.

However, a week in the sun in Barbados has helped and he is looking forward to next month's festival, when he believes he will have "a very strong chance" of a second Magners Gold Cup win on Native River.

He said: "Sunshine is supposed to speed recovery and I did plenty of swimming and loads of exercise while we were in Barbados. The arm feels good and it's going the right way. I'll know more when the specialist has seen the x-rays, but I'm hoping I'm not a million miles from getting back in the saddle."

Native River: won the Denman Chase at Newbury this monthCredit: Mark Cranham

Johnson hates missing a winner of any description, and having to sit out while Native River won Newbury's Denman Chase was particularly hard. However, he was impressed with what he saw from the 2018 Gold Cup winner.

He said: "I was gutted at missing the ride on Native River at Newbury, but I was very pleased with the way he won there. He won well, as he did at Aintree, and he's just looking a lot sharper this season than last.

Watch Native River win at Newbury

"Both watching him and riding him, he looks in better form with himself, and I don't see why he won't go to the Gold Cup with a very strong chance."

Johnson experienced first-hand the weather issues that have prevented Hughes from getting too far clear in the jockeys' championship when flood water delayed his return to the family home at the weekend.

But he acknowledged the possible benefits to his own situation as a slew of abandonments have denied Hughes the opportunity to capitalise in full.

"We came back from Barbados on Saturday but couldn't get back on the farm until a couple of hours ago because of flood water," Johnson said on Monday. "Wales, Herefordshire and Shropshire have all been hit quite badly, and where we are we receives a lot of the rainfall from the Welsh hills, but it's a lot better today and the horses are all fine."

Johnson was three behind Hughes when he was injured, and Hughes has ridden only 14 more winners in the interim, so their scores now stand at 111 and 128 respectively.

He has not quite given up hope of retaining the title he has dominated since his great friend and rival Sir Anthony McCoy retired from the saddle five years ago, but acknowledges it will be tough.

Johnson said: "Brian could have been a lot further ahead, but it will still be very difficult making up 20 winners, and maybe more, in under two months. I'm realistic about it, and the main thing for me is just to get back in the saddle riding winners before Cheltenham."

Read this next:

Richard Johnson suffers title blow after breaking arm at Exeter

Brian Hughes: jockeys' title by no means an open goal after Johnson injury

Get exclusive insight from the track and live tipping with our up-to-the-minute Raceday Live service on the Racing Post mobile app - go to the Today tab in cards, click on a race and then click live, or click on the Raceday Live tab in news