Davy Russell and Phillip Enright free to ride in Christmas festivals after ‘whip theft’ bans reduced

If anyone needs to get Davy Russell or Philip Enright a gift for Christmas we have an idea of what both might appreciate

Good news for racing fans this morning with the confirmation that the bans for both Irish jockeys for the 'whip-borrowing' incident at Clonmel earlier this month has been reduced on appeal. The two lads were initially caught up in one of the most bizarre incidents ever to happen on the track  after Russell dropped his whip and then he took Enright's to complete the race. Needless to say race stewards were not exactly thrilled with the behavior of the two lads, and they received five-day suspensions, which ruled them out of the main Christmas festivals. Most disappointingly Russell would miss out on his big ride aboard Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Lord Windermere in the Lexus Chase on December 28th. But today's news means they will now just have this weekend off instead and will be back for action over the festive season. According to Turf Club press officer Cliff Noone, 'The panel agreed with the Clonmel stewards that both riders were guilty of breaking Rule 272, in that their actions were prejudicial to the proper conduct of racing. The panel is keen to send out a message that these things should not happen. However, both have clean records and the panel has decided their bans should be reduced from five to two days.' H/t to Sportinglife