A really good, dispassionate, impartial discussion between Hislop and Mellish on RUK yesterday, plus an interview with Paul Struthers. Their conclusion, which I very much agree with, is that Maguire was indeed guilty of a riding offence, but not the one he was charged with. They feel he was guilty of not riding the horse to obtain the best possible placing (i.e. trying to fool the Handicapper), but NOT guilty of schooling in public. That's because he rode the horse vigorously for the first part of the race to keep it in touch with the leading group, but on entering the straight took the horse wide and then sat like a statue, doing absolutely nothing, for the last half mile.
So the penalty for Maguire should have been 10 days, not 14, (he would still miss the Festival), Ben Pauling should have received a lesser fine and the horse should not have been banned for 40 days. Pauling didn't help himself by telling the Stewards he had instructed Maguire to give the horse an "educational ride", which as we all know is something that happens on a regular basis, but surely something that should never be admitted in the presence of Stewards!
