Irish jockey slapped with 14-day ban and huge fine after winning at Royal Ascot
A Royal Ascot-winning jockey will be notably absent for his upcoming date with surprise Coronation Stakes champion Cercene.
Gary Carroll achieved his first Group 1 triumph when he guided 33-1 outsider Cercene to victory in the prestigious 1m race for three-year-old fillies at the Royal meet, beating the heavily backed favourite Zarigana. The win also realised a lifelong ambition for Co Tipperary-based trainer Joseph G Murphy, who had yet to claim a Group 1 trophy in 50 years of holding a licence.
Carroll said on the day: "This is unbelievable. I have been riding a long time now and been placed in plenty of Group One races. This is my first one and, if I was ever to ride a Group One winner, I wanted it to be for Joe Murphy.
"I have been riding for him since I was a 7lb claimer and he has been very good to me. I am delighted I can repay him.
"Cercene ran a blinder at the Curragh, where the slow pace didn't suit. We went a bit better gallop there today. She got to the front a furlong and a half out and she waited.
"Then the French horse came and headed me. To be fair to this one, she is not big, but she is very tough and stuck her head out for me.
"This is hugely satisfying. Group One races are so hard to come by, and good horses are very hard to come by. To do this at Royal Ascot is magic."
Murphy has big plans for the victorious filly Cercene, including entering her for the lucrative £426,000 Juddmonte Irish Oaks at the Curragh, with an eye on the Breeders' Cup later on in the year. But Carroll could miss out on the Irish Oaks set for July 19 unless he wins his appeal against a suspension for using his whip above the accepted level, reports the Mirror.
Carroll's case was escalated to the BHA's Whip Review Committee following his conduct at the Coronation Stakes, where they handed him both a suspension and a financial penalty.
The report from the Committee said: "Gary Carroll, the rider of the winner Cercene (IRE), was found to have used his whip twice above the permitted level of six from approximately two furlongs out.
"Taking into account that this was a Class 1 race, the penalty in respect of the above permitted level was doubled. Therefore, he will be suspended for 14 days from Tuesday 08 – Monday 21 July 2025, inclusive and fined £5,800."
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