Even at the age of 33, Sean Fox is trying to re-build his riding career after his darkest hour when he was accused of jumping off a horse in a novices' chase at Fontwell in March last year. Fox was eventually exonerated of any wrongdoing but the controversial circumstances surrounding the incident, which saw him unseated from Ice Saint at the ninth fence, left its mark and he spent six months out of the saddle. But along came Richard Guest to the rescue. He threw Fox a lifeline by offering him a job at his Brancepeth Manor stable and the jockey repaid part of the debt by riding a winner for him at Sedgefield yesterday. "Richard has been very good to me, he said there was a job for me if I got off my backside and got on with it and he has been true to his word," said Fox, after partnering Ghadames to a 10-length victory in the Wares Teesside Ltd Handicap Chase. The Fontwell stewards ruled that he had intentionally stepped off Ice Saint but Fox later won his Jockey Club appeal. "I decided to take a break because people who used to give me rides were making excuses for not putting me up again and I didn't want to fall out with anybody," explained Fox. "It's been hard work. While I was out, my weight went up to 11st 12lb, but I can now ride at 10st 9lb and I hope to get down to 10st 4lb - the weight I was doing when I was riding regularly. "The more rides I get the more my fitness will improve. I hope to get some outside rides eventually, and Paul Beck, who owns Ghadames and is the stable sponsor, has promised to give me all the help he can. "Both he and Richard have been very supportive and there's nothing like a winner to help your confidence." Ghadames, who last raced at Carlisle a year ago, gave Fox his first winner since Dunraven landed a selling handicap hurdle at Leicester in January, 2004. Fox took out a licence in 1988 and has now ridden 80 winners in Britain. Paddy Aspell, who returned to the saddle at Newcastle last week after an absence of almost two months, rode his first winner since September when 22-1 shot Jeringa made a successful racecourse debut in the Saltwell Signs Maiden National Hunt Flat Race. Aspell broke an arm in a fall from Red Lion over the course in early November. Winning owner-trainer John Wade couldn't believe his eyes. He said: "Jeringa is a nice big horse but he has missed quite a bit of work with a back problem and we only ran him here because it's on our doorstep." Jaccout, who showed some ability over the course two outings ago, led all the way to win the Gosforth Decorating And Building Services Handicap Hurdle for the Newburn trainer-jockey combination of Bob Johnson and his son Kenny. The seven-year-old won three chases and a hurdle in France. Trainer Johnson said: "I got him from a man who had brought two horses over from France and wanted to sell one of them." | 
