Weaver doubles up but collects a riding ban

Jason Weaver rode a double at odds of nearly 60-1 on Nigel's Lad and Dome Patrol yesterday but was summoned before the Lingfield stewards a total of three times.

The 23-year-old jockey collected a two-day ban for improper riding on Avant Huit, third in the second race. Weaver had used his whip on the filly with unreasonable force, the stewards decided. The suspension runs from 19-20 January.

Weaver was back in front of the stewards after the sixth race in which he rode Pageboy, beaten into second, three lengths behind the winner, Silent Expression. The stewards asked Weaver why he had stopped riding Pageboy in the closing stages, but accepted his explanation that the saddle had slipped.

Weaver won the final event on Dome Patrol. Even then, he had to survive an inquiry as the stewards found that his mount had interfered with Pigalle Wonder and Hi Penny on the home bend. But they ruled that the interference was accidental.