JASON Weaver's season plumbed new depths yesterday when the Pontefract stewards hit him with a four day ban for irresponsible riding.

The offence triggers a deferred five day ban from August, putting Weaver on the sidelines for a total of nine days.

The ban runs from October 16th-19th and October 21st-25th ruling the jockey out of the entire Cesarewitch meeting at Newmarket.

Weaver has been hard hit by the Jockey Club's crackdown against riding offences and he fumed: "Any interference was minimal and this means I'll have been out for 47 days this season. They are trying to take away a man's livelihood."

Weaver fell foul of the stewards for his riding of Shirley Sue, trained by Mark Johnston, in the Trinidad & Tobago Handicap.

The officials found that Shirley Sue had interfered with Rainelle, ridden by Nick Connorton, when switched right at the three furlong pole.

Surprisingly, although Shirley Sue eventually finished fourth she was not demoted. The result was allowed to stand because the stewards had not been aware of any problem until after the weigh in.

Weaver has only been back in action for 18 days after completing a 16 day ban for irresponsible riding. That suspension had been meted out for his riding of Sonderise at Pontefract on August 18th.

Under the Jockey Club's "totting up" rules, Weaver had been banned for 21 days with five of the days deferred and only activated if he reoffended before January 1st next year.