Ben Melham got the short end of the justice stick with that 2 months ban for his ride on a moderate horse at Mornington. Even if it's conceded that he didn't give a 100% ride, is it worth denying him a living for 2 months? It's never been suggested by the stewards that he was 'pulling up' the horse. It was all about the fact that the stewards reckoned he didn't ride the horse as they would have ridden it. Any punter who watches TVN every day can point to dozens of ordinary rides. Try every race!

Ben Melham got the short end of the justice stick with that 2 months ban for his ride on a moderate horse at Mornington. Even if it's conceded that he didn't give a 100% ride, is it worth denying him a living for 2 months? It's never been suggested by the stewards that he was 'pulling up' the horse. It was all about the fact that the stewards reckoned he didn't ride the horse as they would have ridden it. Any punter who watches TVN every day can point to dozens of ordinary rides. Try every race! But do the jockeys concerned deserve to lose their livelihood because of failure to make the right instant judgement during a race? I'm betting that Melham will win on appeal. That would be justice.