WATCH: Jockey Blows Massive Lead After Misjudging Winning Post

It's a scene usually reserved for cartoons or slapstick comedy routines, in which a horse with a seemingly unassailable lead gallops down the finishing straight, only to slow to a halt as the rest of the field overtakes it.

Unfortunately, for jockey James Ridley, this comedic fantasy became a reality at Newbury, yesterday.

Amateur jockey Ridley horrendously misjudged the half-furlong pole as the winning post during the 4.45 at Newbury, and subsequently brought 33-1 shot Lookslikerainted.

Ridley has been banned for 28 days for his blunder, with Lookslikerainted's owner and trainer Martin Wilsemith collecting the £290 third place prize instead of the £1,872 he would have pocketed for Ridley winning, as he seemed certain to do.

Ridley has since taken to Twitter to express his regret and to offer an apology for his monumental mishap in judgement.

At least he's got the next 28 days to figure out the difference between a half furlong post and the winning post, eh?

(H/T Racing UK)

Topics: Horse Racing

Joe Baiamonte

Northerner. Assistant Editor of SPORTbible. Studied Journalism and Broadcasting in a portakabin on a car park of Salford University for three years. Believes football peaked with Serie A in the '90s and strong-arms pro wrestling references into as many articles as possible. Neymar once took 50 euros off me during a game of poker.

@JoeBaia