Leading jockey Eric Saint-Martin will serve a nine-meeting ban after the Jockey Club board of stewards last night almost halved the rider's original suspension over his handling of Double Hap piness at Sha Tin last month.
Saint-Martin, who had been suspended for 16 meetings for failing to take 'all reasonable and permissible measures' on Double Happiness, had his appeal against the guilty verdict thrown out after a gruelling four-hour hearing at Jockey Club headquarters. But his efforts were partially successful as he came away with the reduced penalty and a clear statement from the Jockey Club that 'there is certainly no suggestion that he deliberately stopped the horse from winning'.
The Frenchman will ride at Sha Tin tomorrow before beginning his suspension, which will rule him out for five weeks until his return for the Sha Tin meeting on November 16.
Andy Leung Ting-wah, who trains Double Happiness and had been fined $250,000 for being party to Saint-Martin's offence, also lost his appeal but saw the penalty reduced to $100,000. Both the trainer and jockey were ordered to forfeit their deposits by the appeal panel, which comprised Jockey Club chairman Ronald Arculli, former chairman Alan Li Fook-sum and David Eldon. Saint-Martin and Leung were unavailable for comment last night.
Despite yesterday's ruling, Saint-Martin still faces the possibility of losing his licence when his contract expires on December 15. He has been in brilliant form this season and leads the jockeys' championship by five wins over title-holder Douglas Whyte, but he remains under notice from the Licensing Committee that in view of his 'disciplinary record, overall attitude and demeanour, should he apply for an extension of his licence, he will be required to show cause why such an extension ought to be granted'.
Four new jockeys were announced last week for the December-March period, but there has been no indication of whether Saint-Martin will apply for a renewal, nor how such an application would be viewed by the Licensing Committee in light of the Double Happiness case.
Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the Jockey Club's director of racing, said after the appeal hearing that there was no imminent deadline by which Saint-Martin would need to apply.
