Racing: Crucial day for Hughes' champion ambitions

Although it may be an exaggeration to say the fate of the Flat jockeys' championship could be decided away from the track in London today, Richard Hughes would not necessarily agree. The Irishman, nine behind Kieren Fallon in the race for the title, faces the Jockey Club's disciplinary committee at noon in an attempt to overturn a five-day suspension picked up at York last week.

Hughes rode a double at Salisbury yesterday to bring his seasonal score to 99 and eat into Fallon's lead, but must sit out the sport today and tomorrow because of another ban, for a whip offence. "At this stage one day is bad enough," he said, "but five, on top of the current two, would be a bit of a disaster."

The longer suspension came after a rough race for the Melrose Stakes. Hughes was found guilty of minor irresponsible riding on board Dune, on whom the Knavesmire officials decided he had caused interference to Richard Quinn on Stance. Later in the race fourth-placed Dune was squeezed between Johnny Murtagh's mount Kasthari, the runner-up, and winner Total Turtle, ridden by Jamie Spencer. Spencer was also handed a five-day holiday, with Murtagh given two days.

Hughes, 28, will conduct his own defence today, when Murtagh and Quinn will be called on to give evidence. "I would be hopeful of getting the ban at least reduced, if not completely overturned," he said. "I felt hard done by at the time, because I was nearly brought down. But the stewards at York that day were very busy and under a lot of pressure with several inquiries. There were three jockeys waiting to go in after me. I hope that the London stewards, with more time to review the race and a cooler atmosphere, may see things differently."

Even if Hughes has to serve some of his sentence, which will start on Monday, he can perhaps take comfort from the fact that Fallon also has a ban hanging over him. The reigning champion, winnerless at Chester yesterday, is due to go before the Portman Square committee next week under the totting-up system and faces the possibility of at least 12 days on the sidelines.

Elusive City, the favourite for the 2,000 Guineas after his victory in the Group One Prix Morny at Deauville on Sunday, may be stripped of an earlier win in the Richmond Stakes. It has been revealed that, following the Gerard Butler-trained colt's impressive success in the Group Two contest at Goodwood, his routine post-race dope test has yet to be cleared negative by the Jockey Club's forensic team and his prize money is being witheld.

John Maxse, the Jockey Club's public relations director, confirmed the possibility of a prohibited substance in a sample taken from Elusive City analysed at the Horserace Forensic Laboratory in Newmarket, but that a confirmatory analysis of another sample, which takes place independently abroad, has yet to be carried out.

"The testing process is ongoing," he said yesterday, "It would be premature to assume what the outcome would be. The analysis from the 'B' sample would have to confirm the findings of the 'A' sample for it to be considered a positive."

There was more work for those responsible for racing's integrity at Lingfield yesterday when the Maidstone-based trainer John Best was given a £1,600 fine over the running and riding of two-year-old Recount in the six-furlong maiden.

The gelding, having his third run, finished eighth, beaten 13 lengths, tenderly handled by the apprentice rider Richard Lake. Lake told the stewards that he had been unhappy with Recount's action during the race and Best added that the horse was a difficult ride and may have been better suited by softer ground and a longer trip. But the stewards were unimpressed and found rider and trainer in breach of the so-called non-triers rules. They fined Best and banned Lake for 10 days and suspended Recount for 40 days from 2 September to 12 October.

The field for the next Group One middle-distance showdown, the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown tomorrow week, is shaping up. Most notably Aidan O'Brien has confirmed that his big guns are again firing after the illness that has blighted Ballydoyle has lifted. "It looks as though our horses are coming right and that one of the big three, Hawk Wing, High Chaparral and Rock Of Gibraltar will run," O'Brien said yesterday. The York International winner Nayef is another possible, with Noverre or Grandera preferred to Sakhee from the Godolphin camp.