Kevin Manning and Paul Scallan face a trip to Turf Club headquarters next month for a hearing before the Appeals and Referrals Committee following an incident in the jockeys changing room at Tralee on Saturday.
After the David Wachman-trained Menchyte and Paul Scallan finished fifth behind stable companion Clewbay Storm with Slaneyside, the mount of Kevin Manning, back in twelfth, Stewards Secretary Paul Hensey, on entering the changing room to interview Manning about a possible incident during the race, observed the senior rider giving the teenage apprentice, "a blow to the ribs". Scallan, apprentice to Aidan O'Brien, was winded and in a crouched position after the incident and was also very pale, according to the official account of the matter.
On the other hand, Manning, stable-jockey to Coolcullen handler Jim Bolger, was presumed to have left the track as he failed to answer a call over the public address system to attend an enquiry, hence the matter being referred on to the Turf Club.
On a brighter note, Goresbridge veteran Paddy Mullins captured another valuable contest at the Festival when Rainbow Style battled back gamely under Fran Berry to just touch off Benovia in a thrilling finish to the featured EBF Premier Nursery.
Mullins, successful earlier in the week with Bob What in the featured Guinness Gold Cup on Wednesday and Siberian Gale in the Denny Gold Medal Handicap Chase twenty-four hours later, was naturally overjoyed. "I've never had it as good here before and in latter years have found it hard to win races in Tralee. I'm delighted with the way things have gone this week." Yesterday Stage Affair kept his unbeaten record intact over hurdles on the concluding day of the Festival when making virtually all in the hands of British champion Tony McCoy in the Barrys Bakery Novice Hurdle. Following a debut win at Galway before notching up an even easier success at Cork, the highclass performer on the flat showed he is going in the right direction towards greater honours when recording an effortless victory over Gleneagle.
Athenry trainer Val O'Brien completed a 116/1 double sparked off with Florida Star in the Purcell Ltd Handicap Chase. O'Brien was back in the winners enclosure after the first division of the Hibernian Insurance Handicap Hurdle when his home-bred Genomic shrugged off Disposen approaching the final flight to score for the four-strong Three Quarters Syndicate.
Winning rider Paul Hourigan, successful with the Irish Jockeys team in Australia when scoring twice, was recording his first win since returning from the southern hemisphere earlier this month.
Philip Carberry, who failed to weigh-in after finishing fourth on Lady Clareen, was suspended for two days for his troubles and ordered to forfeit his riding fee.
