Chief stipendiary steward Clinton P. Pitts Jnr and his panel will face the media over the highly controversial Seattle Sun decision at Happy Valley on Wednesday night. A brief Jockey Club announcement yesterday said that the American-born Pitts and his panel would meet members of the press in the Inquiry Room at Happy Valley before racing begins at the city track on February 1. Pitts will explain the reasons behind the decision to suspend Seattle Sun for 30 days at the conclusion of an inquiry into the running and riding of the horse. Seattle Sun, having his first race start, was favourite for the sixth event - the third leg of the Triple Trio. Slowly away, he was switched out wide in the straight and tenderly ridden over the concluding stages to finish fourth under English rider Jason Weaver. The horse is trained by Wylie Wong Wai-lit. Pitts is expected to face a number of searching questions as criticism of the decision has been sustained and very pointed. There has also been annoyance about the fact that a near 90-minute hearing was reduced to six lines in the official report with no worthwhile details being given at all to sustain the seemingly bizarre decision. The intense criticism and the general disbelief at the verdict to punish the horse, as it were, has prompted yesterday's decision. Pitts, who has been in charge for less than a year, is currently on holiday in Thailand. The meeting with the press over a specific incident is not entirely without precedent. A special meeting was called by the then chief executive, Guy Watkins, in the wake of criticism of the stipendiary stewards' handling of an incident involving visiting Australian jockey Michael Clarke over three years ago. However, on that occasion the media was not permitted to ask any questions - a decision greeted with derision and one that journalists felt made the whole exercise a complete waste of time. In an interesting reversal of roles, it is now likely to be Pitts and his panel who will face a grilling - rather than errant jockeys.