‘It was one of the scariest moments of my life’ – Michael Nolan successfully appeals 12-day ban for going the wrong way

Micheal Nolan successfully appealed a 12-day suspension for running the wrong route on favorite Tommie Beau in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham this month.

Giving evidence to the independent disciplinary panel, the jockey said the aftermath of the incident was “one of the scariest moments of my life” due to the poor treatment he received from riders.

The stewards thought he had violated race rules by taking the wrong route after jumping the last third and going out; Nolan argued that this was because the 100-30 shot was unusually unresponsive to attempts to change direction.

“When I walked back into the weighing room it was one of the scariest moments of my life because of the abuse I received from the punters,” Nolan said. “It’s not something I want to remember. I’ve been called all kinds of names and threatened, I don’t want to do that again. I convinced the owner to run him. I always wanted to win this race second first and I was heartbroken.”

“I was abused by the public after trying my best to win. It’s one thing to be abused on social media after losing my favorite match, but it’s a little scarier when someone tells you they’ll meet you in the parking lot. I’ll never forget that because it was probably my only chance to win the race “And I did everything I could and it went wrong in seconds.”

The jockey, who was with Tommie Beau for the 26th time, told the panel he was familiar with the course, having ridden the race six times and had run on the track on the morning of the race. Nolan argued that the 9-year-old boy tried to change direction, but the horse did not react and threw his head into the air, as he had done before in the race, due to the sensitivity in his mouth.

Tommie Beau ran off course after finishing third last at Cheltenham

“He is the most successful horse I have ever partnered with,” Nolan said. “I know him extremely well and have been riding him for years. He is an athletic jumper, a strong goaltender and I always felt he should run this race. I have never had any steering issues and never in a million years would I have expected this.” The horse does not respond to me – he is experienced and usually responds to a slight shift in my weight or a light touch.

“I know he’s an animal, but if I were to trust a horse with my life, it would be him. I trust him so much. When he didn’t react at first, I made strong contact with his mouth and picked him up. I moved the reins to the right and the same thing happened as at the beginning of the race , that was my steering assist but with his head in the air he got out of my control and the race was over and I pulled him up.”

After watching multiple replays of the incident, the BHA, represented by Charlotte Davison, argued that Nolan had left it too late to take adequate corrective measures to change direction at Tommie Beau and questioned his position at the previous fence due to the horse’s reluctance to change direction. to turn right. Nolan, who ran most of the competition, said he tried to choose the most competitive path.

Delivering the decision to Nolan after a lengthy hearing, panel chairman Tim Gray said: “It was not an easy decision to make but it was a clear one and on all counts the panel found that the BHA did not meet the required standard. “In this particular case you have breached the rule and we therefore appeal. We approve.”

Read more:

Micheal Nolan to appeal 12-day ban for taking wrong route on cross-country favorite

Sweet David wins chaotic cross-country race for France, but jockey gets 12-day ban for wrong route

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