Apprentice Tarrant Banned For Recklessness
- Tuesday, 26 May 2015 07:41
Star apprentice Luke Tarrant is set to appeal a six-week suspension for reckless riding.
Tarrant is only the third Queensland jockey in a decade to be found guilty of reckless riding, one of racing's most serious charges.
He rode Jumbo Prince in the Grand Prix Stakes at Doomben on Saturday and faced two charges from incidents going out of the straight for the first time.
Tarrant pleaded guilty to careless riding during the meeting and was suspended for eight meetings.
However, he asked a charge of reckless riding involving interference to several runners in the first 100m be adjourned.
Tarrant pleaded not guilty to reckless riding on Tuesday but admitted he had been careless.
He said he was upset Sydney jockeys Hugh Bowman and James McDonald had accused him of being reckless.
"It makes me sick to think other riders thought I would do that deliberately. I can say 100 per cent that I had no intention to cause any interference," he said.
"Call me dumb. I can only repeat it was 100 per cent not deliberate and I cannot see it was therefore reckless."
However, chief steward Alan Reardon said his panel found the interference was at the highest level of carelessness.
"That is why we issued the reckless charge. We are not saying you went out there to do it but your actions were reckless," he said.
Tarrant asked for his good record be taken into account but Reardon said because it was an important race a hefty sentence had to be imposed.
The suspension will start on Sunday night and be served concurrently with the original eight-meeting ban.
Tarrant said he would seek legal advice with a view to appealing both suspensions.
He has been booked for several key rides towards the end of the Queensland winter carnival.
Tarrant is second in the Brisbane jockeys' premiership and he won won the BRC Sires' Produce Stakes on Look To The Stars on Saturday.
