Mark Zahra has lost an appeal against the severity of a careless riding suspension.

Zahra was banned for 16 meetings at Mornington on Sunday after pleading guilty to careless riding aboard Chalk It Up in a 1200m race.

However, he appealed against the severity after stewards assessed that the incident at the 250m mark of the race fell into the high range.

The Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board dismissed Zahra's appeal on Wednesday and the jockey is unable to return to race riding until April 21.

The ban means Zahra, the regular rider of Fontein Ruby, will miss the filly's next scheduled start in a Group Three race in Adelaide on April 18.