Rising star apprentice Jackson Murphy’s stop-start early season has hit another bump because of a suspension from the Caloundra meeting.
Murphy, who won as a late replacement on Prioritise early in the day, had only just resumed from a 15-day suspension imposed at Gatton last month.
He rode Hirtshals ito a close second in race eight and pleaded guilty to careless riding at the 200m when Crab Boy suffered interference.
Murphy’s suspension starts at midnight on September 8.
Meanwhile, stewards took evidence and deliberated for about 20 minutes before declaring correct weight in the last race.
Jockey Tegan Harrison, who rode Sol Witness to fourth place, told stewards her mount had lunged forward and opened the gates with her head.
“There is no doubt she lunged at the gates. I thought it was a false start and sat up. She usually leads but we were back in the field,” Harrison said.
Stewards agreed and declared Sol Witness a non-runner.
However, they refused a application by jockey Glen Colless to have his mount Cedarwood declared a non-runner in the same event.
Colless said Cedarwood had been denied a fair start as he had hit the side of the stall and come out 100 metres behind the field.
“I am sure he heard Tegan’s gate open and lunged forward before rearing back,’ Colless said.
Chairman of stewards James Williamson said after careful debate by the panel, Cedarwood would be declared a runner.
“Cedarwood reared just prior to the barriers opening and its own actions have caused it to miss the start,” he said.
“Therefore, we declare it a runner.”
