FOR Jason Maguire luck seemed to have run out for the second year in a row when he incurred a 14-day ban for breaching the non-triers rule on Born To Succeed at Ludlow on Wednesday.

It must have come as a bitter blow after life threatening injury had ruled him out of action on the eve of the Festival last year and £3,000 was a stiff fine for his trainer.

Accessing the race before and looking at just the result afterwards, nothing untoward could have been suspected. The horse hadn’t run for 69 days and this was his first for Ben Pauling. He started at 28/1 in a field of 16 where only four were sent off at single figure odds and eight were 50/1 or longer.

The first five opened up a gap on the remainder up the straight and he was not asked to do much while two runners in front of him were more vigorously ridden out.

Maguire could have appeared to make more of an effort but, no punter lost out, he finished pretty much where you would have expected him to (in seventh) on his form and starting price.

Putting all things in context, it looks a case of the punishment exceeding the crime.

Still you have to say, stewards are damned if they miss something (Chepstow) and damned if they come down too heavy.