Soumillon's Two-Month Riding Ban Could Be Extended

Christophe Soumillon faces the prospect of having his two-month suspension extended to as much as six months, or even having to reapply for his license, following the intervention of the ministry of the interior on behalf of France's gaming police, the Police des Jeux.

Soumillon was banned for two months by Saint-Cloud stewards after knocking Rossa Ryan out of the saddle with his elbow while maneuvering his horse in the Prix Thomas Byron (G3T) on the eve of Arc weekend Sept. 30.

Soumillon apologized immediately for an incident he described as "totally unacceptable" but, in addition to the action taken by the stewards, he lost his position as retained rider for the Aga Khan.

Details of the police concerns were published in French racing online daily Jour de Galop on Saturday evening, and France Galop has confirmed to the Racing Post they have received a letter from the ministry of the interior and that it has been passed on to Soumillon.

The 10-time champion jockey now has a fixed period of time to respond, and France Galop will then pass his observations back to the ministry without additional commentary.

The Police des Jeux have left open the question of a longer ban against a withdrawal of license for an undetermined period.

But in framing his behavior as "incompatible with the maintenance of a license," the police have raised the possibility that Soumillon could be prevented from riding for a significant period when the ministry of the interior makes its final decision.

In that case there would be no appeal to France Galop stewards, and Soumillon could either take his case to an administrative judge to seek a stay of the decision, or else reapply for his license after a suitable period of time, in all likelihood not before six months have elapsed.

Their case for increasing the punishment is understood not just to revolve around the incident with Ryan at Saint-Cloud, but rather frames it against a series of infractions during the course of 2022.

Soumillon's ban runs through Dec. 12. In the case of a six-month ban, he would be out of action until mid-April.

A withdrawal of his license would almost certainly prevent him from riding for longer still.

It is the second time in the space of a week that the role in racing of the Police des Jeux and, by extension, the French government, has surfaced following the decision to replace jockey Pierre-Charles Boudot's rolling bans with an indefinite removal of his license.

Every license request from a jockey, trainer, or owner has to be placed before the ministry for approval, before France Galop then either grants or denies the application.

What will be surprising to foreign eyes in the case of Soumillon is that the Police des Jeux have taken an interest in a matter which, on the face of it, falls under the conduct of the sport and is not tied to any criminal wrongdoing.

The ministry of the interior's jurisdiction in such matters was most recently codified in a 1997 government decree, which gives the Police des Jeux supervisory powers in the area of public order.

They can ask for a ban or suspension to be revisited if they believe it is in the public interest, or if an incident or personality has threatened the image of racing in a way that supersedes the sporting offense committed.

Additionally, the police may take into consideration that the incident could have led to criminal prosecution had Ryan suffered serious injury or even worse.