In one of the ugliest moments in horse racing history, jockey Christophe Soumillon elbowed rival Rossa Ryan midway through the race.
The incident happened at Saint-Cloud in France on Friday as Soumillon raced in the Thomas Byron Stakes.
The video shows that Soumillon, who was riding Syros, made contact with Rossa Ryan on Captain Wierzba midway through the race and sent his fellow jockey to a nasty looking-fall.
“Wow – Soumillon put an elbow out there” – @LynchySSR is shocked by events in the Prix Thomas Byron… pic.twitter.com/gpGeOyqTtw
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) September 30, 2022
Fortunately, Ryan was able to walk away from the course and back to the medical tent to receive attention.
The move has resulted in a two-month ban for Soumillon, which will see him out for the remainder of the flat racing season.
“I felt a little bit of pressure from Rossa on my outside while trying to keep a better position behind Ryan (Moore). I was just behind Ryan at the time and I put my elbow against him just to make him understand I wasn’t going to the inside,” Soumillon explained to Sky Sports Racing.
“Unfortunately when I asked my horse to stay there and go a little bit to the right I have pushed him for a stride or two and he fell off.
“Straight away I knew I made a mistake and I’m terribly sad about what happened because I hate to see stuff like this. When you are doing that it is even more terrible, so I really want to apologise to everyone, all involved with the horse,” he told media.
However, Soumillon will still be able to ride at ParisLongchamp this weekend.
