Italian-born apprentice Sebastiano Deriu has been suspended for 15 days after easing up before the winning post and surrendering victory at Le Lion D’Angers in France.
Deriu, who is in his third season riding in France for trainer Christopher Head, was aboard Palais Byzantin in a 1400m juvenile event after the colt had placed at Listed level at Vichy at his previous start.
The son of Galiway started the online betting sites $2.40 favourite and appeared destined to break his maiden after taking control of the race early in the home straight.
However, after glancing over his left shoulder twice, Deriu mistakenly believed he had the race won.
Approximately 100 metres from the finish, he stopped riding his mount out, only for Goldy Glory, ridden by Martin Protti, to storm down the outside and snatch victory in the final strides.
The dramatic finish prompted an immediate inquiry from local stewards, who examined why Deriu had ceased urging his mount before the winning post.
Stewards found the young jockey guilty of easing up prematurely and forfeiting first place, imposing a 15-day suspension.
The incident quickly attracted widespread attention on social media, with many punters expressing frustration at the costly error.
One user described the ride as “a collector’s item!”, while another wrote: “In the end, it’s always the bettor who gets the short end of the stick in the story … Give him 3 or 6 months suspension, that’ll teach him the trade.”
Another disgruntled punter added: “Should we send them our bank details or what?”