Luck changes after 'ludicrous' ban (From Gazette & Herald)

Luck changes after 'ludicrous' ban

THE ups-and-downs of racing were never more vividly illustrated than through the contrasting fortunes encounted last week by Paul Hanagan.

A further appearance at the Jockey Club's London headquarters on Wednesday for persistently breaking a minor riding rule saw the Ryedale jockey slapped with an 18-day ban, described by his boss Richard Fahey as "ludicrous".

But, if an upset Hanagan was down in the dumps while contemplating his fate, he didn't show it at Newcastle on Saturday. Riding the largely unconsidered outsider Mirjan in the John Smith's Northumberland Plate, he rode a dynamic race to clinch a 33-1 success to bag the biggest win of his career.

Then, on Monday, he rode two winners at Pontefract, the Richard Fahey-trained Sharoura, and the Mary Reveley-trained Let It Be. And to cap off his topsy-turvy week, he received another two-day ban for excessive use of the whip while riding another horse at Pontefract.

After his big success at Newcastle, Hanagan, Britain's champion apprentice two seasons ago, could scarcely grasp the enormity in his rapid change of fortune. "I was gutted after coming back from London with another big suspension, and then this - it's unbelievable. Talk about ups and downs. It shows what sort of game racing is," he said.

Mirjan, better-known as a hurdler, is trained near Dumfries by Len Lungo, a man likewise more familiar with success under National Hunt rules. But his plan to have a crack at this race, the richest staying handicap in Britain, worth £180,000 and with more than £100,000 to the winner, paid jackpot dividends.

Never too far from the leaders in this 19-runner two-miler, Mirjan battled into contention inside the final two furlongs under Hanagan, who forced him home with a head to spare over Swing Wing, with the 5-2 favourite Anak Pekan just three-parts of a length further back in third.

While Lungo was singing the praises of the jockey - "Paul gave him a peach of a ride," he said - Hanagan was reflecting on how well the race had gone. "Even though there was a big field, everything fell into place. It was one of those dream rides when everything goes right."

The dream was coming close on the heels of a virtual nightmare scenario for the Malton jockey. As a persistent offender of the rule that requires jockeys to ride to their draw (which means keeping perfectly straight for a short period immediately after coming out of the stalls), Hanagan was suspended for 12 days last month under the 'totting-up' procedure.

On his very first day back, he was done again, which triggered a further trip to Portman Square to face the disciplinary panel once more. The upshot of his latest visit was an 18-day ban, plus a further ten days if he re-offends again within 12 months.

Fahey was fuming at his stable jockey's treatment and called on the Jockey Club to make changes to the punishment structure. Unlike bans for interference and misuse of the whip, every breach of the 'riding to the draw' rule is taken into account over a rolling 12-month period.

"It's just a complete a joke," said Fahey. "I don't know of any other sport where people can take away a man's living for possibly 28 days without good reason. Not only does the punishment not fit the so-called crime, but it can't be fair that Paul has been banned severely for the same offence more than once. He's paid his dues already, now he's doing it again. It's ludicrous."

Fahey added: "Paul isn't totally innocent, but only once out of the six times he got done for not keeping straight did he cause any interference. And in the latest case, at Ripon, his horse cocked its jaw and went to its right coming out of the stalls, leaving him with no chance of keeping it straight."

Hanagan said: "I was very disappointed about getting banned again, but I just want to do my time - I'll go on holiday for a couple of weeks - put it all behind me and move on."

After Saturday's mammoth success, at least he can now afford to splash out on a holiday, knowing full well that his reputation as a high-class jockey is safely intact, thanks to Mirjan's bumper victory.

Updated: 13:05 Wednesday, June 30, 2004