James McDonald has had a suspension reduced two days to three riding days after an appeal hearing at Matamata yesterday. The suspension will apply from tomorrow until midnight on Thursday.
McDonald appealed a five-day suspension for careless riding at the Waikato meeting on January 12. The representatives of the Judicial Control Authority who heard the appeal were Murray McKechnie and Richard Seabrook.
• Derek Nolan has been suspended from January 30 until February 6 inclusive for careless riding at the Auckland meeting on December 28.
• Kerrin McEvoy has decided against appealing a careless riding suspension which will keep him on the sidelines for two weeks.
McEvoy was suspended at Wyong on Wednesday and had contemplated lodging an appeal.
He will be out of the saddle from next Friday and returns on February 10.
The suspension rules him out of a trip to New Zealand tomorrow week for the $1 million Karaka Million meeting at Ellerslie.
McEvoy, the No 1 rider for Darley in Australia, has four rides at Rosehill today including Risky Blonde for trainer David Payne in the $250,000 Inglis Classic (1200m).
• Chesterton, the winner of 16 races, has joined the Menangle stable of David Thorn after being claimed for $12,500 at the Thames meeting on January 8.
The 10yr-old Chesterton had his last eight wins racing out of the Pukekohe stable of Derek Balle and Owen Gillies.
"He is a good old horse capable of further wins and he looks value for the stakes on offer at Menangle," Balle said.
Chesterton had one win for Steven Reid and seven, including the 2006 Country Cups Final at Invercargill when trained by Gil Shirley.
