Appeal Clears Troy for Melody Belle

The Informant reports:

An appeal against a careless riding suspension and subsequent stay in proceedings has cleared Troy Harris to take the mount on Melody Belle in Saturday's BCD Group Sprint.

Harris had been suspended until the close of racing on Wednesday next week, but after lodging an appeal today and proceedings required ahead of a Judicial Control Authority tribunal, the appeal cannot be heard before the weekend.

“That is a big relief for connections,” said John Galvin, head of the Fortuna Syndicate that races the triple Group One winner. “We were fairly confident that a stay would be granted, and now that it is, we are full steam ahead for Saturday.”

Harris's name has been removed from the list of suspensions on the NZTR website, but in what must rate as some sort of record, 19 jockeys and apprentices remain as currently suspended of pending suspension.

That list includes Opie Bosson, Leith Innes, Sam Collett, Michael McNab, Trudy Thornton, Jake Bayliss, Danielle Hirini and Wiremu Pinn. Their number is added to by a long list of injured jockeys including Danielle Johnson, Alysha Collett, Ryan Elliot, Kylie Williams, Samantha Wynne and Corey Campbell.

Main picture - Tell A Tale, Te Akau's Group 1 winner of the Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas when ridden by Troy Harris (our stable apprentice at that time)

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