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Christophe Soumillon in 2019: "I didn't do it on purpose"
Photo: Mike Egerton/dpa
Star jockey Christophe Soumillon has been banned for 60 days for pushing a competitor off his horse in a race.
Soumillon and Irish rider Rossa Ryan rode side by side in Friday's race in Saint-Cloud, France.
Videos then show Soumillon hitting his competitor.
Ryan falls off his horse and rolls over on the lawn.
Later, Ryan can be seen leaving the racetrack on his own.
He said, according to the Racing Post: "The horse is fine, I'm fine.
That's the main thing."
Soumillon apologizes
Belgian Soumillon said of the incident: 'I didn't do it on purpose to make him fall off his horse.
I was just trying to hold my position.' He said, 'I knew straight away that I had made a mistake and I'm terribly saddened by what happened because I hate to see things like that. "He apologizes to everyone involved.
The France Galop organization imposed a 60-day ban on Soumillon, effective October 14.
As a result, he will miss some high-profile races.
He fully understands the reactions, said Soumillon.
Now it is up to him to “bear the consequences”.
ptz
