THIS is the sickening moment jockey Christophe Soumillon pushes rival Rossa Ryan off a horse mid-race.
Recent Coral-Eclipse winner Soumillon's moment of madness came as a jockey in Ecuador was given a lifetime ban for doing the exact same.
Sky Sports Racing cameras captured in detail the shocking scenes from Saint-Cloud racecourse in France.
And it could not have been more deliberate on legendary Belgian jockey Soumillon's part – who has been banned for two months but will be free to ride in Sunday's £4million Arc de Triomphe because the suspension won't kick in until October 14.
Punters could not believe Soumillon only got two months and is free to contest Europe's richest race after an incident which sent shockwaves through the sport.
Fortunately Ryan, who until recently was retained rider for football superagent Kia Joorabchian, was unhurt.
Ryan was seen walking to the on-course ambulance for treatment.
Sky Sports Racing pundit Andrew Thornton likened Ryan's impact to jumping out of a car sunroof at 35mph – and in falls like this it is not uncommon for a jockey to break their back, neck, or in the case of Freddy Tylicki, end up paralysed.
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Stewards immediately disqualified Soumillon's horse from the race – and he told Sky Sports Racing he felt 'terrible' for what had happened.
Soumillon, 41, one of the world's highest-earning jockeys, said: "I received a little bit of pressure from Rossa's mount. I tried to keep a better position behind Ryan Moore.
"I put my elbow against him just to make him understand I wasn't going to the inside.
"Unfortunately when I asked my horse to go there and to the right I pushed him (Ryan) for a stride or two and he fell off.
'I'M TERRIBLY SORRY'
"Straight away I knew I made a mistake.
"I'm terribly sad with what whappened as I hate seeing stuff like this. When you are the one doing it you feel even more terrible.
"I want to apologise to everyone. I just saw Rossa and he is fine and the horse is too.
"It was not a nice act on my side and I am terribly sorry and want to apologise.
"I just received a big suspension from France Galop stewards – I am going to be suspended for two months.
"My season is now gone. I accept the sentence for what I did, it was a terrible decision.
"I shouldn't have done that and I didn't do it on purpose to make him fall off the horse.
'DISGUSTING'
"I probably did it with a bit of power but it was a misjudgement from my side. I feel really bad."
Ryan told the Racing Post: "I just got a bump and lost my balance. It's just one of those things that happens.
"I feel disappointed for Ralph and his team bringing him out here, but we'll move on.
"The horse is fine, I'm fine. That's the main thing. I'm 100 per cent."
Punters were simply in shock at what they had witnessed in the 12.20 race over a mile.
One said: "Licence should be suspended with immediate effect."
Another said: "Disgusting this is."
One comment read: "Watched the full race back and Rossa Ryan did nothing to make Soumillon lash out at him like that, makes no sense at all."
A fellow Twitter user wrote: "This is absolutely shocking behaviour."
While one fuming viewer said: "No place in horse racing for this!"
Soumillon was aboard the Francis Graffard-trained Syros in the Group 3 Prix Thomas Byron, worth almost £34,000 to the winner.
He and Ryan, who was on the Ralph Beckett-trained Captain Wierzaba, were travelling down the back straight when Soumillon saw red.
He can clearly be seen moving his elbow out in an attempt to get Ryan, a 22-year-old jockey from Ireland, to move.
It doesn't take much to knock you off course travelling at that speed and sure enough Ryan had nowhere to go but down after being shoved.
Soumillon's horse was second past the post but will miss out on £13,500 earnings after being disqualified.
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