Jockey Mickey Brennan was handed a nine-day ban by the Exeter stewards yesterday after taking the wrong course and causing a mini pile-up in the concluding Merlin Conditional Jockeys' Novices' Handicap Hurdle.

Brennan, partnering Caher Society, was at the head of affairs when attempting to take the summer hurdles course, which is dolled off in winter, at the end of the back straight.

In the ensuing mayhem, Welsh Lad and Russian Relation were knocked out of the contest.

Brennan will be sidelined on December 13th-18th and 20th-22nd inclusive, but he claimed: "I was blinded by the sun down there on the bend as you could not see anything.

"It was all too late when I saw what had actually happened, and I was still travelling well enough at the time which makes it all the worse".

Stewards secretary William Nunneley explained: "The stewards took the view that he had already ridden in a hurdle race earlier in the afternoon and he should have known the way round.

"He's caused all the problems by taking the wrong course and he actually admitted to the stewards the error as he had already ridden in a hurdle race".

The race went in clear-cut fashion to warm favourite Select Star, ridden by Joffret Huet, who missed all the problems before passing the post with 21 lengths to spare from Abigails Star.

Tiutchev, who finished sixth in last season's Champion Hurdle, made a successful debut over fences at Exeter yesterday. However, the six-year-old was forced to pull out all the stops to hold Prince Sorinieres by a neck under Mick Fitzgerald. Trainer Nicky Henderson declared that the Arkle Chase at the Cheltenham Festival would be Tiutchev's target.