No chance of Kieren Fox’s comeback
The horseracing lovers are unlikely to see jockey Kieren Fox in action again. After being hit with a long three-month ban, the rider has given up all hopes, conceding that his career was all but over.
British Horseracing Association (BHA) revised the whip rules in March, and Fox’s ban by far is the harshest punishment. In a 1-mile meeting at Brighton earlier this month, the jockey was found whipping his runner, Salient, 13 times.
The authorities quickly took a serious action, and imposed a mammoth ban on the 23-year-old, who had grabbed a dozen victories in the ongoing season. Admitting the fact that it will be very difficult for him to return especially when he is struggling, Fox
said:
"To be honest, I don't think I'll come back from this. Three months out when you are struggling anyway is hard. I was probably getting one ride maybe a week if I'm lucky and now with this, you think to yourself what is the point. I could go and stack shelves
in Morrisons for more money."
He continued: "I know the rules are in place for a reason, but they are not being followed properly. There are jockeys out there hitting horses 10, 11 and 12 times, and they are just getting a two-day suspension. It's a joke."
Fox has been racing professionally since 2007. After a couple of winless seasons, he finally got off the mark in 2009, when grabbing 11 victories in the season. He continued to achieve good results, and mustered 59 winners the following season. In 2011,
he secured 22 triumphs.
On his last few outings, he was unable to do anything special. After finishing 10th twice on the same day, he did a decent job, taking Many Elements to the fifth spot at Kempton.
It was surely a good ride, but things again started slipping out of his hands. On his penultimate trip, he was 14th on the chart at Royal Ascot. The latest race also brought nothing good, as he could only seize the ninth place with Gracie's Gift
a few days ago. He is still young, and it will be interesting to see whether he has enough determination to come back strongly. The chances are slim though.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and do not reflect Bettor.com’s editorial policy.
Tags: