REG HOLLINSHEAD slated stewarding standards after Fergal Lynch, the latest product of his riding academy, collected his second six day ban of the week at Chester yesterday.
The trainer, who has unearthed such talents as Walter Swinburn and Kevin Darley, claimed the officials who found his apprentice guilty of irresponsible riding didn't understand race riding.
Lynch, one of the leading claimers this year, was suspended from May 21st to 27th as his mount Montecristo was found to have interfered with Al's Alibi on his way to finishing first in the Cheshire Regiment Handicap. This follows an identical ban (May 15th to 20th) at Haydock on Monday for committing the same offence on Letluce.
Montecristo was disqualified and placed last and Backdrop was promoted to first. But Montecristo's trainer Rae Guest and Rupert Arnold, who handles Letluce, plan to lodge appeals.
Lynch had produced Montecristo from the back of the pack two furlongs out and forced his way between Al's Alibi and Overruled and then slightly impeded Pleasant Surprise as he raced to a short lived neck victory. But Hollinshead claimed Lynch, who has had 27 successes this year, had ridden a brilliant waiting race comparable to Lester Piggott at his best.
"I wish the stewards understood race riding," he complained. "I thought Fergal rode a brilliant race to get out of trouble. He was Piggott like, waiting and waiting and as soon as a gap came he went for it. He and Richard Quinn (on Al's Alibi) went for the same gap. Quinn's come off worst and the lad's got penalised."
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