Jockey Jamie Melham will miss Derby Day at Flemington this Saturday after her bid to reduce a careless riding suspension was unsuccessful.
Melham, who famously guided Half Yours to victory in last year’s Caulfield and Melbourne Cups, was booked to ride the brilliant Sydney filly Satono Glow in the Group 1 $2 million Coolmore Stud Stakes over 1200 metres.
Satono Glow’s trainers, John O’Shea and Tom Charlton, had Ben Melham, Jamie’s husband, on standby, and he will now take the mount on the filly for the major sprint race.
The suspension Melham is contesting is a four-meeting ban for careless riding, incurred when she partnered Mahroona to a second-place finish behind Grafterburners in the Group 2 Sydney Stakes on Everest Day.
Racing NSW stewards laid the charge of careless riding against Melham, determining that she interfered with Coal Crusher at the 300m mark. This action resulted in “Coal Crusher being crowded onto Generosity and losing its rightful running.”.
Satono Glow, a winner of four from her five starts, is currently the $4 second favourite for the Coolmore Stud Stakes, with The Next Episode at $3 being the current favourite.
The filly has proven her ability on the Flemington straight course, winning both her previous appearances impressively under Melham’s ride: the Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes in March and the Cap D’Antibes Stakes last month.
Satono Glow is heading into the Coolmore Stud Stakes off the back of a dominant performance, where she trounced her rivals in the Group 2 Roman Consul Stakes at Rosehill on October 10.
The period of Melham’s four-meeting suspension concludes following the Derby Day races, meaning she is free to ride from Melbourne Cup Day next week onwards.
Consider the available betting markets for the Coolmore Stud Stakes with leading sports betting platforms.