Nash Rawiller and Kathy O’Hara to fight bans on eve of Golden Slipper

Two prominent Sydney jockeys will seek to fight bans on the eve of the Golden Slipper as they wait on a final green light from the Racing NSW Appeals Panel to ride in the $3.5 million event at Rosehill.

Group 1 winning hoops Nash Rawiller and Kathy O’Hara will both front the Panel as they look to fight bans picked up over the past six weeks.

Both jockeys are hoping to have their sentences deferred by the panel until after Saturday’s Slipper.

Rawiller is booked to ride the Slipper’s leading filly Four Moves Ahead while O’Hara joins forces with country star Rocket Tiger.

It is expected they will line up on Saturday however their respective suspensions will carry over until other Group 1 meetings during the Sydney Autumn Carnival.

Kathy O’Hara on Rocket Tiger. Photo: Mark Evans/Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images

Rawiller will front the Panel as he endeavours to fight a careless riding ban picked up when winning on Petronius at last Wednesday’s Randwick meeting on the Kensington track.

The Appeals Panel is able to defer a suspension for two days at their own discretion and Racing NSW Stewards have confirmed they will make an application for his ban to begin on Sunday, March 28 instead.

It would allow Rawiller to ride the John Sargent-trained Four Moves Ahead, which has drawn barrier 10 in the world’s richest two-year-old race and is rated a $6 third favourite with TAB.com.au.

Nash Rawiller. Photo: Jenny Evans/Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images

Rawiller’s suspension would have initially seen him miss both the Tancred Stakes meeting and Day One of The Championships until recent torrential rain turned the Sydney Autumn Carnival on its head.

Last Saturday’s Golden Slipper day postponement has seen the race moved to Saturday, March 27 and the rest of the Carnival moved back a week.

Meanwhile, O’Hara is appealing a running and handling charge picked up for her ride on Sippity Sup at Newcastle back on Thursday, February 18.

Her licence was suspended at the first inquiry for a period to commence on Friday, 26 March and to expire on Thursday, 15 April – which would have seen her miss both days of The Championships.

O’Hara has been booked to ride the Scott Spackman-trained Rocket Tiger in the Slipper with the country galloper currently a $51 outsider while she also has a Group 1 booking on Fiesta in The Galaxy.

Originally published asSlipper rivals to face Appeals Panel Thursday

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