Apprentice Mitchell Beadman found himself in hot water with stewards after weighing in more than a kilo over aboard Royal Esprit which finished third in the Champs Cafe Handicap over 1100m at Rosehill today.
After weighting out before the race at his declared weight of 53.4kg [jockeys are allowed a 0.5kg allowance], Beadman returned after the John Hawkes-trained gelding was beaten 0.8 lengths, 1.3kg above the 53kgs.
“You may have influenced the result,” Chief Steward Ray Murrihy told the apprentice in the inquiry.
The reason for the weight discrepancy was that Beadman changed his riding boots after weighting out for the race.
Beadman told the inquiry he had two pairs of boots, which he described as “lead and a feather” when, comparing them in the hearing.
Beadman also conceded to stewards he’d had a drink of Red Bull and showered after weighing out between the second and third races.
“It was the wrong thing to do but at the time I was stuffed,” Beadman told stewards.
“My mind wasn’t in a great state, I was in la la land.”
Murrihy then lectured the apprentice about “taking a professional approach” to loosing weight before and on race day.
Beadman apologised for what he described as a “human error” saying, “I feel sorry for the connections and the punters”.
“The happenings of today aren’t satisfactory to the stable or anyone’s point of view,” Murrihy replied when summing up.
Stewards charged Beadman under AR 145 for weighing in more that 1kg overweight and they also charged him for careless riding further compounding his problems.
Beadman pleased guilty to both charges and was suspended from Thursday July 10 until July 17 for the careless riding charge and from July 17 until July 26 for weighing in over his declared weight.
The suspension has all but ended the apprentice’s challenge in the Sydney apprentices title where he was engaged in a three way battle with Peter Wells and Matthew Palmer with the three jockeys tied on 19 winners for the season.
Larry Cassidy was also suspended for careless riding and will be on the sidelines from tomorrow until Thursday, July 17.
