Rising star apprentice Cobi Vitler has been slapped with a two-month ban after being found guilty of a running and handling charge at Tamworth last week.
Racing NSW stewards put the English-born rider in their cross hairs following his steer on the Cody Morgan-trained Bullawa Creek in The McDonalds Tamworth Country Boosted Class 2 Handicap (1000m).
Stewards charged Vitler under AR129(2) for failing to take all reasonable and permissible measures throughout the race to ensure his horse was given full opportunity to win or obtain the best possible place.
Vitler restrained Bullawa Creek at the start and allowed the gelding to drift back between the 700m and 400m to sit four lengths off rival Schwoon when stewards felt he should have applied more vigour.
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Trainer Cody Morgan is the trainer of Bullawa Creek. Picture: AAP Image-Simon Bullard
They also felt he failed to show any purpose from the 350m to the finish, resulting in Bullawa Creek finishing ninth and just over 2½ lengths off the winner.
Vitler pleaded guilty to the charge with his three month suspension reduced to 2 months due to his plea.
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The suspension will begin on Sunday, June 2 and run until Friday, August 2.
Trainer Cody Morgan was also fined for separate offences relating to the same race after it was found he failed to notify stewards by nomination time that Bullawa Creek had been subject to surgery twice — on October 31 and December 5 last year — for a breathing issue.
He was fined $750 as well as an additional $250 for failing to notify stewards his instruction to Vitler to ride the gelding back in the field from an outside gate.