Pike banned for month for careless riding

UPDATE: Leading jockey William Pike was seething last night after copping a 30-day suspension for causing interference which led to Peter Hall’s horrific fall at Ascot last month.

Pike pleaded not guilty to a charge of careless riding and stewards rejected his request to start the suspension immediately.

Stewards told Pike he had to honour his total of 14 rides at Pinjarra tomorrow and Bunbury on Thursday.

Stewards ruled Pike shifted Full Reign outwards at the 400m of race five on December 29, bumping with Shaun Meeres’ mount, Mac It Is, who subsequently bumped with Mighty Rossa.

Hall fell heavily from Mighty Rossa after the contact and was taken to Royal Perth Hospital.

Hall suffered two fractured vertebrae, a fractured shoulder joint, torn ligaments in his neck, a broken sternum, broken ribs and a punctured lung and will be sidelined for three months.

Pike, who leads the metropolitan jockeys’ premiership with 34 winners this season, will miss the lucrative Magic Millions raceday on February 16.

He has two weeks to lodge an appeal with the Racing Penalties Appeal Tribunal.

“We believe the contact with Mac It Is was initiated by outward movement from you at the 400,” chief steward Brad Lewis said at the inquiry.

“The film and steward Rick Mance’s evidence support this.

“It could have been avoided by you staying in your true racing position on the fence.”

Pike argued the contact between Full Reign and Mac It Is was a result of Meeres shifting back inwards after momentarily leaving his position one off the fence.

“I know in my mind I did not cause the bumping and the film supports what I said,” Pike told the inquiry.

Pike received the same ban as apprentice Natasha Faithfull last Saturday.

Faithfull was found guilty of shifting out near the 50m on Kalahaar when insufficiently clear of Geiger Rio, who blundered and dislodged jockey Shaun O’Donnell.