Bastiman suffers record punishment

Most people's idea of a steep learning curve pales alongside the lessons Harvey Bastiman had to absorb yesterday. The apprentice created an unwanted record at Catterick when he was given suspensions totalling 16 days for his riding in one race.

Bastiman, 22, was stood down for 10 days for reckless riding after the well-backed Mybotye had finished first-past-the-post in the `Doncaster Town Moor' Handicap, but the stewards also took exception to his use of the whip and added a further suspension of six days. Bastiman's spell out of the saddle runs from 14 to 23 August and then from 25 to 30 August.

To complete a miserable day for the Bastimans the jockey's father Robin, the trainer of Mybotye, was fined pounds 200 for failing to inform the stewards of the reasons for Mybotye's poor performance on his previous outing.

According to Jockey Club records no jockey has been given such a severe penalty by racecourse stewards for his riding in one race. "The highest ban a rider can get for one offence from local stewards is 14 days, but in this case it's the double whammy," a Jockey Club spokesman, John Maxse, said. "As far as we can recall there has never been a ban as high as this handed out by the stewards at a racecourse.

"Of course, a ban could be much higher if the offence was serious enough to be referred to Portman Square."