Review of the First Day of The Whip Rules

So on Monday, Richard Hughes was handed a 5 day ban for using the whip 6 times in the final furlong (1 above the limit) and Kieran Fox was handed 15 days for using the whip a total of 11 times with 7 instances in the final furlong (he won).  Both lost their riding fees and any percentage of the prize money.  
These are two jockeys at either end of the spectrum - one established, financially secure and with enough influence to be able to refuse trainer/owner orders to disregard the rules (I can't imagine anyone daring to suggest this to him anyway) and the other is a not so wealthy 3lb claimer very much at the start of his career and who dare not ignore trainer/owner orders (should these ever be given and I'm not suggesting they were) if he wants to be booked again. 


Rules are rules and have to be followed in all walks of life but the penalties for not doing appear to be draconian particularly since there has been no "switch-over" period.  The whole business appears to be a knee jerk reaction to a very vocal contingent after the Grant National and whilst I accept that change is required, a little more effort taken to educate those who are opposed to horse racing would not have gone amiss in addition.  As my daughter pointed out to me, it's perfectly legal to smack your children as many times as you want as long as you don't leave a mark (very wrong but true I'm afraid!).

I sincerely hope that the BHA put the forfeited/seized/relocated       £££££s to good use and avoid using it to:

• pay John McCririck to promote racing (not good)
• stage a competition to find a female commentator (not good) 
• fund a website to promote (as well as horseracing) wife-carrying competitions at Bath racecourse (not good ....but very very funny!).

Sheriff of Nottingham - no relation to the BHA

Rules are rules and have to be followed but the penalties for not doing so appear to be draconian particularly since there has been not "switch-over" getting used to it period.  The whole business appears to be a knee jerk reaction to a very vocal contingent after the Grant National and whilst I accept that some change is required, a little more effort taken to educate those who are opposed to horse racing would not have gone amiss as well.....God forbid that some of these people ever discover that all horse riders use their heels (which could be construed as 'kicking' the horse) as well!


My fear is that we will see an injury which could be avoided by the corrective use of the whip.  I know from experience that a slight tap down the shoulder approaching a jump can mean the difference between the horse and rider going over or just the rider!

Wednesday's Selections & Results - 28 September

Wednesday Selections (so far) are:

Salisbury
15:00  Rock The Stars (6.8) UP (4th)

Kempton

19:10  Millyluvstoboogie (10) UP (4th)

21:10  Zelos Diktator (4.7) UP (you've guessed it...4th)


Although this is the system selection, I have to confess to a liking - reinforced by the trainer's confidence - for Fifty Cents 1st in this race although the draw tempers enthusiasm a tad.  I dearly hope this horse is called Fiddy at home!! 


With good old Fiddy winning (Fallon had a treble today!) a +0.77 profit

The BHA have announced new and more stringent whip rules due be implemented from the 10 October!  
In a nutshell, a jockey can 'hit' no more than 7 times during a flat race and 8 times during a jumps race.  In both, the whip should not be used more than 5 times in the final furlong.  Now, I may have misunderstood but I understand that a jockey is allowed to use the whip one more time in the Grand National than in a 5f sprint.....hmmmmm???  It's the 0.22 'hits' per furlong in 1 race but the 1.4 'hits' per furlong in another that most perplexes! Wouldn't a certain number of 'hits' or percentage of a 'hit' per furlong have been more sensible?

Now the punishments for the jockeys!  Excessive use (i.e. more frequent use of the whip than quoted above) have a minimum 5 day ban (previously the minimum possible for this offence was a mere caution).  Bans of 3+ days will mean forfeiture of the riding fee and prize money percentage so hitting in excess of the new rules mean no £££s.  If a horse hangs and impedes another's progress then what does the jockey do if all 7 or 8 'hits' have been used up and the horse (or more exactly the horse's path) needs correcting?   Since this happens more often as not towards the end of a race then it could mean the difference between a win or place.  Devil and deep blue sea springs to mind!
Owners and trainers will not be penalised unless they are found to have reimbursed a jockey in breach of the rules of any forfeited fees/prize money.  There'll be some interesting conflicts of interest then?


There is not truth in the rumour that Tony Culhane has contacted the BHA to ask if air shots count as a whip strike nor of certain jockeys asking that the maximum number of hits be lowered to five or less so that they don't have to change whip hand to continue counting above this number.


to be honest, I don't think I'd be able to keep count with the adrenaline pumping in an important race - I'm sure that some enterprising soul has already come up with a red LED at the end of the whip to light up once the set numbers of 'hit's have been reached.....if they haven't then I should have patented the idea before writing this......


And as a postscript to this outpouring of rantiness, it is very hard to hurt or even mark a horse with the air cushioned whips that are used in racing these days.  If I had to have my arm hit with one 7 or 8 times to prove this I would do so without much fear of pain!   However, certain sections of the great British public (the same section who complain now that foxes now climb stairs in suburban homes and attack babies because their fear of humans is being eradicated)  need to be appeased and I can fully understand why the BHA have to be seen to address this issue.

Now here's a jockey who didn't use his whip at all in the last furlong.....

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