The Stewards of the Meeting of the Royal Western India Turf Club have held Irish jockey Mark Gallagher guilty of not allowing his mount, Antilles, to run on its merit when it finished runner-up to Strike Zone on October 5.
Antilles, who is trained by Dr Anil Kumar, is reported to have opened favourite to win the race but the odds climbed up as racing time neared which probably raised suspicions in the minds of the RWITC stipes. On the conclusion of the race, the stipes were not satisfied with the efforts of Mark and reported that they will be holding an enquiry into the running and riding of Antilles in the above mentioned race.
The stipes questioned both the trainer and the jockey and were not satisfied with the explanations tendered by them. Mark pleaded that he had met interference at the start from Avantage and later received a check from Truffles which caused him to lose the race. However, the jockey did accept that he had given a breather to Antilles while negotiating the bend. At the conclusion of the enquiry, the stipes formed an opinion that Mark’s riding in the straight was not vigorous and not up to the standard seen of him in other races. The stipes therefore reported Mark to the Stewards for not allowing Antilles to run on its merits.
