Top jump jockey Harry Cobden has defended the ride he gave Cheltenham winner Il Ridoto last weekend, saying: “Rides like that shouldn’t be getting penalised.”
The stable jockey to champion trainer Paul Nicholls claims he was told by stewards he would have received a 24-day ban under the controversial new whip rules due to come into force on February 13.
It led Nicholls to call for the postponement of their introduction until after the Cheltenham and Grand National festivals, warning they would be “a disaster for the sport”.
