Rossa Ryan will be free to ride at York's Ebor Festival after the 28-day suspension he received at Sandown last week was reduced to 10 days on appeal.The on-course stewards at Sandown ruled that Ryan, partnering Thunder Home in the Martin Densham & Peter Deal Memorial British EBF Maiden Stakes, had “appeared stop riding on the run to the line, before recommencing his ride in the final strides to finish second, beaten by a nose”.He was subsequently suspended for 28 days “for failing to take all reasonable and permissible measures to obtain the best possible placing on a horse that would have finished first”.However, after listening to representations by Ryan and the British Horseracing Authority, the independent disciplinary panel concluded on Tuesday that Thunder Home 'could' have won rather than 'would' have won, leading to the reduction in the ban.Speaking after the hearing, Rory Mac Neice, representing Ryan, said, “The panel listened carefully and it was a fair hearing. The difference between 'would' and 'could' in terms of whether the horse would have won is obviously important.“Our submission was that there plainly wasn't grounds for the certainty that would be required for a finding of 'would' – and the panel agreed.”Ryan, whose suspension will commence on August 6, will now be able to partner the unbeaten Orthodox when he lines up for Clive Cox in the G1 Prix Morny at Deauville on Sunday, August 23, as well as being free to ride at York.However, Mac Neice admitted to some disappointment that the ban was not completely overturned, highlighting both the variables of riding racehorses at the highest level and the type of scrutiny the profession brings.He continued, “I was disappointed we were not able to be entirely successful, but a reduction in terms of the days involved was important for Rossa, so one has to be pleased.“It's a difficult profession being a jockey and I hope people who judge riders at all levels have that in their mind. There's no other sport like it. In football, if a footballer misses an open goal, there isn't an enquiry. But racing is a highly regulated sport – which isn't a criticism, it just is – and I do wonder sometimes about the penalty structure and if it reflects the job riders have to do.“It would have been great to get the ban completely dismissed and Rossa gave a very detailed account and explanation of his riding throughout the race, including the final furlong. Jockeys ride living animals – they are not riding motorbikes – and it's important that the rules reflect that.”The post Rossa Ryan’s 28-Day Ban Reduced to 10 Days on Appeal appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.