AIDAN O’BRIEN is grappling with a jockey crisis ahead of one of the busiest periods of the season with millions of pounds up for grabs.
His No2 rider Wayne Lordan has been banned from all rides on the weekend of the St Leger and Irish Champions after breaking whip rules.
GettyWayne Lordan and Aidan O’Brien were all smiles after winning the Derby on Lambourn – but the ride on one of the horses of the year could be going free owing to a hefty whip ban the jockey has picked up[/caption]
Lordan, who won the Derby on Lambourn and came close to winning the Oaks on Whirl this year, has been banned for ten days and fined £1,250.
He used the whip in the wrong place three times in his winning ride on Precise in a Group 3 at Goodwood last weekend.
The Irish jockey’s ban kicks in on Thursday, September 9 and runs until Thursday, September 18.
Lordan was runner-up in the St Leger – the final Classic of the season at Doncaster – on Illinois last season.
Sean Levey rode the O’Brien-trained Jan Brueghel to success in the mega-money Group 1.
While Gavin Ryan rode Grosvenor Square, O’Brien’s third runner in the race, to fifth in the seven-runner contest worth £420,000 to the winner.
The big fixture clash the weekend of September 12-14 will likely see Ryan Moore, O’Brien and Coolmore’s top rider, swerve Doncaster.
Being O’Brien’s No1 jockey, he will be needed in Leopardstown on the Saturday – the same day as the Leger – to ride Delacroix in his decider with Ombudsman in the Irish Champion Stakes.
With Moore and Lordan set to be absent, the path could be free for Levey – who is also banned under whip rules after his fourth-place finish on Rosallion in the City Of York – to ride ante-post fav Scandinavia.
Levey’s ban ends on September 12 – the day before the St Leger.
As such, should that link-up take place then there could be a huge spare going on dual Derby hero Lambourn.
The 1m4f specialist, who was well beaten when last seen in York’s Great Voltigeur, could still run in the St Leger, according to his trainer.
O’Brien hasn’t been afraid to use a mix of riders on some of his top talent this season.
Dylan Browne McMonagle, Ben Coen and Ryan are some of the names who have ridden for the Ballydoyle boss recently.
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