Jockey Craig Williams will not be riding in tomorrow’s 2011 Melbourne Cup after he lost his appeal against a careless riding charge he received at Geelong Racecourse last Wednesday.
Williams was due to ride the second favourite, French stayer Dunaden, in tomorrow’s 2011 Melbourne Cup.
He had hoped to be the first jockey to win the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup in the one season.
The jockey is not planning to take his appeal any further and will now serve out the specified ten meeting suspension.
Dunaden is now expected to be ridden by French jockey Christophe Lemaire, who to date has no experience riding in Australia.
Dunaden’s race owner Sheik Fahad Al Thani believes that “the public won’t see the best of the horse” now that Williams cannot ride.
“I only picked him to ride in the Geelong (Cup) after I got him to commit he would ride him in the Melbourne Cup,” Sheik Fahad said.
“The horse needs to know the jockey and the jockey needs to know the horse, especially this horse, and he got along very well with him.
“He knew how to switch him off and he knew when to press the button.”
Dunaden has already lengthened in odds from $8 to $8.50 at Luxbet and this is expected to continue as the 2011 Melbourne Cup nears closer and the public accesses this latest alteration to the Melbourne Cup form guide.
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