OISIN Murphy faces an automatic ban after failing a routine breath test at Salisbury today (Sunday) when he had four booked rides and to aggravate matters missed out on two winners.

Murphy was stood down for the day and his case has been forwarded to racing's governing body, the British Horseracing Authority, who under the rules have no option to imposing a suspension.

Murphy, 23, was asked to take a test by the clerk of the scales Robert Cuthbert on his arrival at the track and found to be over the prescribed limit which is much lower than for drivers. The official, rider and the sampling officer were then interviewed by the stewards.

Murphy, who principally rides for Kingsclere trainer Andrew Balding and is the retained rider for Qatar Racing, had his case immediately referred to the BHA's head office.

The Irishman, who has ridden 96 winners from 432 rides this season, had been ten winners ahead in the jockeys championship until his nearest pursuer Silvestre de Sousa reduced the deficit on northern raider Praxeology in the six furlong novice stakes.

Murphy's loss was David Probert's gain as he deputised on Tribal Craft who romped away in the ten furlong maiden.

"Most unfortunate," Probert remarked of the situation. "Not a nice thing to happen."

Of the race, he added: "She gave me a nice ride. I think she will progress a lot from that. The ground is the key to her, she's a bit better on the slow ground."

Murphy, who has a clutch of good rides at Royal Ascot this week, also lost out on Maygold who relished the conditions in the closing five furlong handicap, drawing clear in the final furlong under Liam Keniry.

On an astonishing afternoon, there was a dramatic finish to the feature race when Snazzy Jazzy got up in the last stride to dead heat with Archer's Dream in the £50,000 Cathedral Stakes, all the more remarkable as trainer Clive Cox had experienced a similar situation with Wise Counsel at Sandown 24 hours earlier.

"It's better than finishing second," he quipped. "I was very proud of that as he was giving 17lbs to the other horse which was quite a test. We were finishing better and I thought we had got up but I wasn't standing at a good angle." 

It is unusual for Cox to run a horse so quickly after Snazzy jazzy had finished third in the John Of Gaunt at Haydock last week but he was delighted how he came lout of the race run on saturated ground. "He has justified the decision to run here."

Archer's Dream stepped up markedly in class, his hitherto best performance came in winning a minor runner race at Yarmouth last month, and his rider George Wood was unsure whether she had clung on. "But she's a nice filly and when she learns to race properly, she will be okay."

George Bass had words of praise for his guvnor Mick Channon after finally riding his first winner at the 35th attempt when Jungle Juice virtually led all the way to win the six furlong apprentice race.

"He's a very fair man," enthused the 19-year-old. "He told me if I worked hard and kept my head down, he will give rewards back. He's been very good to me and I have learnt a lot from him."

The Essex teenager left school to join Newmarket-based David Simcock before switching to the former England international's Berkshire yard in February as a step up in his career.

Tactics were very much a question of playing things as they came.

"We went into the race very open minded and if there was no pace I would go on. When I asked her to pick up, she did and galloped on well. She's very game."

The 12 furlong handicap was very much a stop/start affair as Adam Kirby cunningly slowed the pace down halfway and then kicked on at the intersection, leaving all but Cambrice well in his wake but the Roger Charlton-trained three-year-old relishing the step up in trip knuckled down well and joining Sea Art two out, gradually drew clear to win by three and a half lengths.

"It wasn't a strong race and I wanted to remain handy but like just his previous race at Newbury he was shuffled back," said winning jockey Jason Watson. "The ground wasn't ideal, it was dead and soft but she benefitted from the longer trip and saw it out well."

And finally on father's day, a horse called Daddy's daughter had to win - and so she did, never headed in the seven furlong fillies handicap.