Hugh Bowman has been suspended for a month for three charges relating to his second-placed ride on Marmelo in Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup.
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The suspension means the Dunedoo native and former Bathurst-based apprentice jockey will miss the start of a Japan stint scheduled to begin on November 24 and deny him the chance to defend the Japan Cup on November 25.
Bowman's ban starts after he rides at Thursday's Oaks day meeting at Flemington where he rides Zapurler in the Group One feature, the VRC Oaks.
He will also forfeit Group 1 rides aboard Brave Smash and Latrobe on the final day at Flemington this Saturday.
Bowman pleaded guilty to a careless riding charge, another charge of using the whip more than allowed before the 100-metre mark and another of weighing in 1kg over his allotted weight on Marmelo.
He was suspended for 12 meetings for careless riding, eight meetings on the whip ruling and 21 meetings for returning overweight.
Racing Victoria stewards said the bans were to be served cumulatively before reducing it by six days, making it a calendar month.
"We admire your horsemanship and your ability to ride but that wasn't up to scratch," chief steward Robert Cram told Bowman.
Bowman used the whip 12 times prior to the 100 mark – more than twice the amount permitted.
The stewards deemed that the whip use was a “gross breach of the rule in a Group 1 event”, which led to a racing ban as opposed to a fine.
Bowman’s 12-race suspension for careless riding, which hampered the run home of Chestnut Coat, could have been greater if not for his good riding record and guilty plea.
The suspension for Bowman will run from November 9 through to December 8.
Stewards also came down hard on other jockeys breaching the whip rules in the Cup.
Winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy, who guided Cross Counter to victory on Tuesday, was fined $3000. His penalty was increased above the normal level given his winning result.
Regan Bayliss, who was on Nakeeta, part owned by Bathurst’s Mick and Stacey Whittaker, was fined $1500 for his ride to 12th.
Bayliss was assessed to have used his whip 10 times prior to the 100, five times more than permitted.
Dwayne Dunn (Sir Charles Road) and Damian Lane (Zacada) were fined $800 and Michael Walker $400 for his third place finish on A Prince Of Arran.
Jockeys Jim Crowley and Christine Puls were also suspended for 10 meetings on careless riding charges during support races on the Flemington card.
