Richard Dunwoody's "joke" present of a bottle of champagne to a stewards secretary at the Listowel Festival ended yesterday with the former champion jockey being ordered to donate £500 to the Jockeys' Accident Fund.

The Turf Club's Appeals and Referrals Committee interviewed Dunwoody about the incident on September 23rd when the rider presented a bottle of champagne to stewards' secretary Peter Matthews. Dunwoody had picked up a two-day suspension a day earlier when attempting to weigh out for a race without a girth.

Matthews declined to accept the champagne and Dunwoody was subsequently called before the Listowel Stewards who decided to refer his behaviour to the Irish Turf Club.

Dunwoody commented yesterday: "I had a very fair hearing and the whole thing is history now."