Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes 2015: Apprentice free to ride in G1 at Caulfield

Apprentice Michael Dee will ride at the Underwood Stakes meeting at Caulfield before starting an eight-meeting suspension.

Dee has been booked to ride the Tony McEvoy-trained Bull Point in the Group One Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes on Saturday.

He is also down to ride Matilija for Lee and Anthony Freedman in the opening race, the Pancare Foundation Plate.

Stewards took the unusual step of entering an objection on behalf of connections of My Sanctuary after finishing third in the Evergreen Racing Surfaces ERS Handicap at Pakenham on Wednesday, that later saw Dee suspended.

Dee rode the second-placed Speed Gonzales before losing that position to the Mark Zahra-ridden My Sanctuary in an incident at the 1300m mark.

“We accept that the interference was a long way out but My Sanctuary loses 1-1/2 lengths and Michael Dee gains an unfair advantage,” Racing Victoria chief steward Terry Bailey said.

In suspending Dee, stewards took into account his guilty plea, his good record, in that it was his first suspension for 460 rides, and the interference was in the low range.

Chief steward Terry Bailey told Dee that in some circumstances Zahra would have gone to the fence but at the same time that jockey was entitled to hold his line.

Dee’s suspension starts following Saturday’s meeting and he’s free to ride again at the Turnbull Stakes meeting at Flemington on October 4.

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