The Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster will launch the Flat campaign on turf a week on Saturday so the timing could hardly be better for Jason Watson, last year’s champion apprentice, as he returns to action at Lingfield on Friday for the first time since injuring his neck in a fall at Kempton in early January.

Watson was injured just a fortnight after being appointed as first jockey to Roger Charlton’s Beckhampton stable, at the end of a title-winning season that included a memorable short-head win on Gifted Master, the top-weight, in the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood.

In recent seasons, Oisin Murphy and Tom Marquand have both transitioned smoothly into the professional ranks after winning the apprentice title. Others have found it more difficult to establish themselves as senior jockeys but Watson could hardly have a better foundation for his first full season without a claim than his new role with one of the finest trainers of the last 30 years.

Watson has one ride at Lingfield on Amanda Perrett’s Azets (2.10), a 300,000gns yearling who appears to be starting out his handicapping career on a very workable mark. He was given plenty to do at Kempton last time out but finished well to be within two lengths of the winner and looked to have plenty left in the tank. An initial rating of 69 looks generous and he should begin his progress through the handicapping ranks without too much trouble. Exceeding Power (3.50) and the veteran Sandfrankskipsgo (3.15) are both worth a close look at decent odds on the same card.

Lavery wins appeal against Cheltenham ban

Declan Lavery, who was banned for 10 days by the stewards at last week’s Cheltenham Festival for continuing on third-placed Jerrysback in the National Hunt Chase when the officials felt his horse “had no more to give”, won his appeal against the decision at a hearing in London on Thursday.

Lavery was one of three jockeys found in breach of the rules after a dramatic renewal of the Festival’s longest race but the only one of the three to lodge an appeal. Just four of the 18 starters completed the course while there were nine falls and one horse, Ballyward, suffered a fatal injury as a result.

The case against Lavery revolved around the moments after Jerrysback jumped the second-last fence, where Lavery’s mount jumped to his right and slowed almost to a walk before the rider got him moving again in readiness for the final fence. He then stayed on up the hill to finish third after briefly being passed by the fourth horse home, Clondaw Cian.

The British Horseracing Authority argued in support of the stewards’ original decision, saying Lavery should have pulled up his mount before jumping the last fence and that the fact that his horse had gone on to finish third was not relevant to the case as a horse’s welfare takes precedence over the requirement to obtain the best possible position for their mount.

However, an appeal panel chaired by the former QC Patrick Milmo decided that subsequent events after the second-last made it clear that Jerrysback was not “exhausted” and that Lavery had been right to continue.

Delivering the panel’s verdict, Milmo said they had “accepted the BHA’s position” that the rules “relating to the welfare of the horse has priority over the requirement to obtain the best possible placing”.

However, Jerrysback had jumped the last fence much better than the second-last and, having gone “half a length down on the run-in, he then ran on and re-passed Clondaw Cian before finishing a length in front”. Milmo also pointed out that three vets who examined Jerrysback after he had crossed the line decided that the horse was “clearly not distressed or utterly exhausted‚” as he would have been prevented from returning to the winner’s enclosure had that been the case.

Sir Anthony McCoy said at the time he had “never seen as bad a decision in 25 years in racing” while Philip Hobbs, the trainer of Jerrysback, told the hearing he felt his horse had been given a “brilliant” ride. The BHA said after the hearing that it accepted the panel’s findings and would await its written reasons for the decision before commenting further on the case.