 O'Neill plants a head-butt on City Affair |
Jockey Paul O'Neill, who head-butted a horse during a meeting at Stratford, has been given a one-day ban by the Horseracing Regulatory Authority. O'Neill had lost his cool when his mount City Affair unseated him before a race last month.
The jockey got to his feet and grabbed the reins, pulling his horse to him, before nodding the front of his helmet onto the horse's head.
O'Neill said: "I want to take this opportunity to say how sorry I am."
O'Neill, who will be banned on Friday 11 August, was represented at the hearing by John Blake of the Jockeys Association.
"In terms of the day-ban, it's consistent with other penalties for similar, very rare - I'm pleased to say - incidents," Blake told News 24.
"But the penalty is only part of it. The incident's been broadcast nationally, internationally, around the world.
"There's been a lot of response, quite rightly, to this incident, and Paul's career as a freelance jockey will be affected by that for weeks, months, maybe even years to come.
"And it's very important that he gets over that and repairs his reputation."
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