Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Brian Flanagan

Billy Lee suffers heavy blow in bid for first Irish jockey's championship

Billy Lee's bid for a first Irish Flat jockeys' championship was dealt a heavy blow today as his appeal against a six-day whip suspension was dismissed.

The rider, who has been striving for his maiden title against reigning champion Colin Keane, took the winning ride on Beleaguerment in the William Hill Extra Places Every Day Handicap at Dundalk on October 21.

The stewards at the track deemed him to have used his whip with excessive frequency and suspended him for six days, but Lee regarded them to have erred in the making of that decision and lodged an appeal.

Lee's case was heard by Robert Dore, John Murphy and Noel McCaffrey, who heard that his use of the whip was corrective as he felt his horse shifting to the right, but after the evidence was presented the panel ultimately dismissed the appeal.

Lee is now suspended on November 4, 6, 9, 11, 16 and 18 - leaving him unable to take rides on the final two days of the Irish Flat season.

Dundalk's meeting this afternoon is now Lee's final opportunity to add winners to his tally of 89 for the campaign.

But an opening race win for Keane on Bucky Larson moved him one clear (90-89) and Lee's hopes of that first win are fading fast.

READ NEXT:

Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.