Christophe Soumillon ruled out of Cambridgeshire meeting after collecting 8 days in bans

Aidan O’Brien will be without the services of the jockey he brought in to deputise for Ryan Moore over a key period. Christophe Soumilion, the Belgian-born ten-time champion of France, was recruited by the Ballydoyle trainer after his number one jockey Moore was ruled out for an indefinite period.

Moore suffered a fractured femur and second string Wayne Lordon was hit with a ten-day whip ban over Irish Champions Weekend and the St Leger Festival.

The move paid off with Soumillon lauded for his ride of Delacroix to win the Irish Champion Stakes, who was the final leg of a Leopardstown treble for the jockey, while the stable also claimed another St Leger with Scandinavia, who was ridden by Tom Marquand.

Yet it wasn’t all joy for 44-year-old Soumillon who was found guilty of careless riding on Delacroix in an incident of interference leaving the stalls and suspended for two days (September 22-23).

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Another ban was to follow this time for a breach of the rules at Doncaster which led to the rider's case being forwarded to the BHA’s Whip Referral Committee.

The panel found that Soumillon had used his whip once above the permitted level of six from approximately two and a half furlongs out while riding the O’Brien-trained Sugar Island to finish third in the May Hill Stakes.

Mitigation on penalty was applied because he had gone more than 100 rides in Britain since his previous whip breach but as it was a Class 1 contest the punishment was doubled and he was suspended for six days, Thursday 25 September to Tuesday 30 September inclusive.

The sentence coincides with what will be another important weekend for the O’Brien-team clashing with the Cambridgeshire Meeting at Newmarket.

The three day fixture stages a host of major two-year-old prizes which Ballydoyle annually target, notably the Group 1 Middle Park and Cheveley Park Stakes. The Group 2 Joel, Rockfel and Royal Lodge Stakes as well as the Cambridgeshire Handicap are also part of the fixture.

There is also racing at the Curragh on September 27 and 28, featuring the Group 2 Beresford Stakes.

O’Brien will be able to call on Lordan again with the rider’s free to return to action from September 19.