KEY POINTS:
Top jockey Lisa Cropp faces an inquiry after standing down from riding at Paeroa yesterday.
Cropp's first ride at Paeroa was meant to be in race two but she withdrew shortly beforehand, stipendiary steward Alan Coles said.
"She arrived at the races, weighed out for her ride in race two and then stood herself down," Coles said.
Coles said an inquiry was opened then adjourned until a date to be fixed as there had not been time to interview the rider.
He said the inquiry could be held before chief stipendiary steward Cameron George at Hastings on Saturday but nothing was confirmed.
Cropp is down to ride at the Poverty Bay meeting at Gisborne today.
She will be required to produce a medical clearance to show she is fit to ride.
But Cropp said last night the clearance had been gained.
"I got it this afternoon," she said, adding she did not ride yesterday because she was still troubled by an eye injury she suffered at Taupo races last Friday.
The following day Cropp was down to ride at the Whangarei meeting at Ruakaka but did not attend the meeting. Stipendiary stewards said Cropp advised them the eye injury was still causing problems.
Cropp should have produced a medical clearance to ride at today's meeting, but Coles said that was just one of the issues they wanted to talk to her about.
"She hadn't produced a medical clearance for that but that's only one of the inquiries we have to make," he said.
"There's other issues that we have to look into but we haven't had a chance to talk to her about them."
Coles was unwilling to comment about the other issues.
Cropp also remains in the midst of a legal battle over her positive drug test to methamphetamine at a race meeting at Te Rapa on May 7, 2005.
The latest scene of that battle was in the Court of Appeal at Wellington in August, where Cropp's lawyer argued that racing authorities had no right to test her. The court reserved its decision.
- NZPA
