Ben Melham will ride in the Melbourne Cup despite being suspended at Flemington on Saturday.
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However, he will miss two prized rides on the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival after being suspended for breaching the whip rules in the Victoria Derby on runner-up Stars Of Carrum.
Melham, who grew up in Ballarat and started his riding career apprenticed to Darren Weir in Ballarat, was banned for six meetings after using the whip 12 times before the 100m – seven times more than allowed.
He also used the whip in four consecutive strides, which is against the rules, and was fined $500. The ban starts on Wednesday.
He will miss Oaks Day on Thursday and Saturday's program which features the $2 million Mackinnon Stakes and $1 million VRC Sprint Classic.
He considered whether to start his ban immediately by getting off his ride on Who Shot Thebarman in the Melbourne Cup before deciding to honour his commitment.
Melham rode Johannes Vermeer into second place in last year’s Melbourne Cup.
