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WATCH: Belgian jockey sorry after two-month ban for dangerous elbow incident

‘Wow - Soumillon put an elbow out there’

Christophe Soumillon celebrates after riding Vadeni to win The Coral-Eclipse at Sandown Park on July 02, 2022 in Esher, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)© Getty Images

Online EditorsIndependent.ie

Belgian jockey Christophe Soumillon has apologised following his ban for 60 days by France Galop after an apparent elbow that saw fellow jockey Rossa Ryan unseated at Saint-Cloud.

Riding Syros in the Group 3 Thomas Byron Stakes, Soumillon's elbow can be seen making contact with Ryan as they jostle for position towards the back of a six-runner field.

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Ryan is sent off balance and falls off his mount, the Ralph Beckett-trained Captain Wierzba. He was able to walk to the medical van after the fall.

Soumillon said: "I just received a big suspension from the stewards, I'm going to be suspended for two months - for 60 days of racing - so that's a very, very big thing and, unfortunately, my end of season is now gone.

"I accept the sentence for what I did, for the terrible mistake like I said, and hopefully nobody was hurt.

"I shouldn't do that and I didn't do it on purpose to make him (Ryan) fall off his horse, I was just trying to keep my position but it was a misjudgement from my side."

Sky Sports Racing analyst Jamie Lynch said: "Wow - Soumillon put an elbow out there."

Soumillon's mount went on to take second behind the Aidan O'Brien-trained Continuous, who won as a 15/8 favourite.


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