Racing: Glamour jockey outed in rough Railway finish

Michael Walker has been suspended for nearly a month for his ride on Gee I Jane at Ellerslie on Saturday.

Walker was charged with reckless riding after finishing second on Gee I Jane in the $200,000 Waiwera Infinity Railway.

Reckless riding carries a suspension of two months and more.

Early in the home straight in the big sprint, Gee I Jane ducked out sharply and caused an almost violent check to Devoted and Bois on her outside. Both horses were severely hampered.

The JCA panel did not find Walker guilty of reckless riding but handed down a guilty verdict at the top end of careless riding and suspended Walker up to and including January 29, sidelining him for the entire Wellington Cup carnival.

Mark Du Plessis, on Devoted, had his chance of a magical group one double extinguished by the incident.

Devoted had just begun a run at the leaders and even after having his momentum almost completely stopped he ran on again into sixth place.

"He would have at least been second," said Du Plessis.

Walker said the incident cost Gee I Jane the race.

The Railway was won by a strong finishing burst from Sydney mare Recurring.

Obligations with interstate racing and the Magic Millions sales in Queensland prevented Recurring's trainer Gerald Ryan from making the trip and the win was received by his stable foremen Matthew Dunn.

Ryan had been concerned about Recurring's 56kg and even more worried about the condition of the Ellerslie track, which was cutting out after overnight rain.

Neither mattered and once the high class mare had got through her usual antics of dropping her rider at the barriers, she took matters seriously and powered over the top of the leaders to gold out the fast-finishing Gee I Jane.

Recurring races in the colours of the Eliza Park Stud in Victoria, the owners of which were desperate for a group one victory after the mare finished second to the freakish sprinter Takeover Target at Flemington on the first day of the Melbourne Cup carnival.

Recurring's victory is likely to open up a regular line of traffic from Australia targeting our group one events.

She was ridden by Hayden Tinsley, who a few weeks ago decided to put himself under pressure by committing to riding at 12 meetings in 15 days starting with Boxing Day.

"It's a real challenge," said Tinsley.

Melbourne trainer Tony Vasil had been concerned about the prospects of his sprinter Not A Single Doubt when track conditions came up easy. Worse, the inside couple of lanes, where Not A Single Doubt was expecting to race, were not the place to be on the day.

The best part of the track was five and six widths out, where earlier Vasil's game little stayer Bondy had sprinted so effectively in his chase after Auckland Cup winner Bazelle.

Rider Lisa Cropp blamed the track after Not A Single Doubt finished seventh.

"He's such a long strider and it shortened him up."

Sedecrem went a blinder for third. He sprinted brilliantly to look like the winner at the 120m and the winner and runner-up were in slightly better footing wider on the track.