Racing Diary: Kinane to learn fate on Friday

Michael Kinane will need to be at his eloquent best on Friday if he hopes to convince the Stewards of the British Jockey Club to overturn a seven-day ban imposed at Newmarket last week, that will allow him to ride in next month's Kentucky Derby.

Kinane who is looking forward to riding Aiden O'Brien's Johannesburg in the first leg of America's Triple Crown, received his ban for 'irresponsible riding of a major nature' on the final day of the Craven meeting.

He actually passed the post first on O'Brien's Sahara Desert in the Boadicea Conditions Stakes, but to do so he had to barge his way out to get to the front and in the process interfered with at least three of his rivals.

Having seen the head on replay a number of times I can only confirm that the stewards were absolutely right in handing him the suspension and Kinane will need to offer some strong new evidence if he is to persuade the stewards to shorten his sentence and so allow him to ride in America's most famous horse race.

There is no doubt his horse was a worthy winner but he was boxed in with nowhere to go and while others may have been forced to sit and suffer he decided to break out of the pocket and in doing so resulted in interference which brought about his suspension.

It will be a major disappointment if he is not cleared for as he says: "It's an opportunity of a lifetime to ride a horse like Johannesburg in the Kentucky Derby." I am certain it is but rules are rules and to be perfectly honest Kinane, who is a world class jockey with stacks of experience, would have been fully aware that if he was involved in any misdemeanours just a couple of weeks before a big race then a riding suspension could cause him to miss that race.

Meanwhile, Her Majesty the Queen was in Newmarket this week and watched Sir Michael Stoute's second lot - many of whom are owned by Dubai nationals - canter past her on the Al Bahathri polytrack gallop.

Her Majesty was on a private visit to check out the progress of the eight horses that she has in training with Stoute at Freemason Lodge including her big Derby hope Right Approach.

Right Approach could make his seasonal debut at Sandown this weekend but there have been worrying reports here in headquarters that the colt was not sound after a recent gallop.

Sandown on Saturday will see the first running of the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Celebration chase in memory of the Queen Mum who died earlier this month.

She liked nothing better than racing at Sandown where she had 79 winners including Special Cargo in that thrilling finish to the 1984 Whitbread Gold Cup and I can think of no better track to run a special commemorative race.

The Whitbread, which was Britain's first ever sponsored race in 1957, will be run under it's new name on Saturday - the Attheraces Gold Cup - and 23 have been declared for this the last big steeplechase of the season.

Ad Hoc, a winner two years ago and going so well when brought down at the fourth last fence in the Grand National two weeks ago has been put in as favourite, but my personal fancy is for Beau, who according to Grand National winning trainer Nigel Twiston Davies is 'in the form of his life.'

With the first classics of the season, the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas, now less than two weeks away, all the major trials have been run and now it is a case of trainers keeping their charges ticking over and in one piece for the big occasion at Newmarket on May 3-4.

I thought Queen's Logic did nothing wrong in winning the Dubai Duty Free at Newbury on Saturday but when you watch the replay you have got to say the second horse home who was rated much inferior to the winner was unlucky in running. So what does this tell us?

I believe it tells us that Queen's Logic is still undoubtedly the one they have all got to beat next week but at 7/4 she is a very short price and at 2/1 Misterah-owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance and Industry looks the best value, especially after her commanding win in the Nell Gwynn Stakes.

Aiden Obrien's Hawk Wing remains a red hot favourite for the 2,000 Guineas.