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Callum Pritchard has been handed a 12-day suspension during Grand National week following a critical blunder. Aboard 2-1 joint-favourite Sweet Nightingale on Easter Sunday, the jockey appeared destined for success in the Super Nigel Boardman Novices' Handicap Chase - until a serious miscalculation robbed him of victory.

The 25-year-old held a commanding seven-length advantage but remarkably decelerated prematurely, apparently misjudging the race distance. The untimely decision saw Sweet Nightingale plummet from first position to last in the four-runner contest. Upon recognising his mistake, Pritchard's belated rally could only secure third place, with Milan Milos claiming the spoils instead.

Having notched 39 victories this season, Pritchard remains amongst the challengers for the conditional jockey title. Delivering the verdict on the jockey's performance, British Horseracing Authority stewards stated: "Callum Pritchard, the rider of Sweet Nightingale, [who] placed third, had appeared to mistake the race distance.

"Having established a reasonable lead on the run to the line with a circuit to race, he prematurely eased and thereafter only commenced the race having passed the winning post with a circuit to run. After being interviewed and shown recordings of the incident, the rider was suspended for 12 days."

The conditional championship is currently led by Tristan Durrell, with the overall winner determined by the number of victories in National Hunt races between May 3, 2025 and April 25, 2026. As a result of his ban, third-placed Pritchard now faces a considerable challenge in closing the gap on Durrell once his suspension concludes.

While Pritchard had not been officially booked for the Grand National race itself, he had been widely expected to ride in numerous prominent races throughout the three-day festival. His 12-day ban means he will now be absent from the lucrative handicap hurdle on Friday, where he had been the regular rider for Ben Pauling's Fiercely Proud.

Given his role as a leading conditional for the Pauling yard, Pritchard had been set to partner several of the stable's top horses in contests including the Topham Chase (run over the National fences) and the Red Rum Handicap Chase. The 25-year-old is also a regular jockey for the Philip Hobbs and Johnson White yard and had been scheduled to ride a number of their entries across the Grand National's novice and handicap divisions.