Rossa Ryan has said that he is “very lucky” to be able to walk away after suffering a horrible fall after a rival jockey deliberately elbowed him during the Group Three Thomas Bryon Stakes at Saint-Cloud last Friday. Ryan fell during the race but was unhurt and was able to race the following day.
However, Christophe Soumillon was handed a two-month ban for his part in the incident, and the suspension starts on October 14. Stewards deemed him guilty of dangerous riding.
After the race, Soumillon expressed his regret about the incident and, speaking to Sky Sports Racing, said: “I received a little bit of pressure from Rossa on my outside as I tried to keep a better position behind Ryan.
“I put my elbow against him just to make him understand I wasn’t going to the inside. Straight away, I knew I made a mistake, and I’m terribly sad with what happened because I hate seeing stuff like this.
“I really want to apologise to everyone. I’m happy Rossa is fine, but this was not a nice act on my side, and I’m terribly sorry.
Speaking on his suspension, Soumillon said: “I accept the sentence for what I did, it was a terrible mistake. Hopefully that can set an example to others.
“I didn’t do it on purpose to make him fall off his horse, I was just trying to keep my position.”
Ryan, who returned to racing at Ascot a day after the incident, spoke of his relief that he had managed to avoid being injured in the fall. He said: “I’m fine. I was a bit stiff this morning, but I’m all right, thank God. I have just passed the doctor.
“Look, it was something that happened that probably shouldn’t in racing, but the main thing is I’m 100 per cent and the horse I rode is fine and everyone is fine, so it is in the past and I just have to keep kicking on and keep moving forward.
“It was one of these things that happened and I don’t know what was going on in Christophe’s mind. He did apologise after. The media will have a lot to say about it.
“It was the first fall I’ve kind of walked away from thinking I was very lucky, with the way I landed. I was very lucky, but I live to fight another day, but there was somebody looking down on me and they looked after me.
“It is something all jurisdictions will have to look into, but I have been just the lucky one – and that’s the biggest thing.
“Whatever happened, that’s fine, but I was just relieved and happy that I could get on my two feet and walk away from it.”
Rossa Ryan went on to say: “My Dad is a paramedic and trains a few on the side. He wasn’t too happy about it, nor were my uncles. Whatever about the nudge, it was just the wallop I got on the ground. It was only a six-runner field, and I don’t want to dwell on it too much, to be honest.
“I’m just delighted I can come back to riding on Saturday and have a lovely bunch of rides.”
However, racing insiders have expressed dismay that Soumillon’s ban would not apply until next week, meaning he was free to ride Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe contender Vadeni on Sunday.
Olivier Delloye, France Galop’s chief executive said: “I am very uncomfortable about what happened. Regarding the rules and any changes, we need to investigate very thoroughly, and it has to take a little time. We are not here to invent new rules, but for the existing ones to apply.
“The current rules are as good as we can make them, but this sort of thing shouldn’t happen in racing. It’s the kind of thing that really shouldn’t happen.
“For there to be any changes, it would need an appeal from somebody in England, such as the jockey.”
