Top jockey Christophe Soumillon has apologised to Rossa Ryan for elbowing him out of the saddle during a race in France earlier this year.
The extraordinary clash for which Soumillon was given a 60-day ban and subsequently cost him his job as the Aga Khan’s retained rider made worldwide headlines.
The pair were competing in a race at Saint-Cloud last September when Soumillon, the ten-time champion of France, used his elbow to unship Ryan off his horse and onto the ground. Ryan was lucky to walk away unscathed.
A contrite Soumillon apologised on the day, saying his suspension was “justified”. He also later refunded Ralph Beckett, the trainer of the horse Ryan was riding, the cost of his wasted trip.
France’s gaming police were so concerned by Soumillon’s behaviour that they sought a stronger sentence before backing down last week, enabling the Belgian to return to action later this month.
But Ryan said though Soumillon’s action was “uncalled for” the pair have now settled the issue.
Ryan revealed to Sky Sports Racing: “I recently spoke to Christophe. He is back in December.
“He let everything die down and then came back and apologised to me. We had a really good chat.
“Even though what he did was uncalled for, I gained a lot of respect for him with the phone call. It's a hard enough game without any hiccups. It’ll be one year I won’t forget anyway.”
The ban, which ends on December 12, cost Soumillon, who has ridden 185 winners in France this year, any chance of winning another jockeys title which has effectively been wrapped up by Maxime Guyon.
He has also missed a number of important race meetings, including Qipco British Champions Day, the Breeders’ Cup, as well as a stint riding in Japan.
