Craig Williams is set to miss the first Group One meeting of the year after being suspended for careless riding at Caulfield.
Williams was banned for eight meetings after pleading guilty to a careless riding charge on Danjeu in the Mal Seccull Handicap.
He is booked for rides at Hobart on Monday but asked stewards to consider a submission to reduce the ban to seven meetings if he could be released from his Tasmanian mounts.
Stewards ruled that even if released from Hobart rides to start his suspension immediately, the penalty remained eight meetings, meaning he would still not be free for next Saturday.
Williams has a booking to ride Rising Romance in next Saturday’s CF Orr Stakes which he now is set to miss.
Stephen Baster was also suspended for careless riding but can return for next Saturday after getting a seven-meeting ban after winning on Grande Rosso.
Stewards found his record of two suspensions in two years warranted a seven-meeting ban.
