Jockeys who break new whip rules in horse racing face disqualification, it has been announced.
The recommendation comes at the conclusion of a lengthy study by the British Horseracing Authority. A rider who uses their whip 12 or more times over jumps, or 11 in a Flat race, could be thrown out by raceday stewards.
The punishment would also potentially be accompanied by a 28-day ban. However it will also be considered whether the jockey was using their whip for safety before the final call is made.
Noble Yeats, the winner of this year's Grand National, would have been disqualified under the new rules. Amateur rider Sam Waley-Cohen, who retired on the back of his biggest success, was fined £400 for using his whip above the permitted level after jumping the final fence and in the incorrect place on the run to the line.
The top jumps contest at Aintree in April carried a first prize of £500,000.
In other changes from the BHA, jockeys will only be allowed to use the whip in the backhand position, while other harsher penalties will be brought in. There were 20 recommendations in total and they are expected to come into force by the autumn.
Jockey Tom Scudamore, a member of the Whip Consultation Steering Group with weighing room colleague PJ McDonald, said: "The change to using the whip only in the backhand will be a significant one for many riders, and the revised penalties are certainly strict. However, I believe the increase in penalties will have the correct deterrent on those riding.
“When the whip is used in the backhand position the natural arc in which you use it will mean that it is more frequently landing in the right place with the appropriate amount of force.
“The result will be visibly improved racing, which has not lost the important benefits of being able to properly focus a horse at the end of a race, or when jumping over obstacles, which is what the padded ProCush whip is intended to be used for.”
The review was launched in 2020 by the Horse Welfare Board as part of a five-year strategy, but the Covid-19 pandemic delayed its initial progress.
Jockeys are at risk of picking up longer suspensions for breaking the rules in major races under both codes. In Class 1 and Class 2 contests, the proposed penalty has been upped to 28 days, from nine on the sidelines.
PJ McDonald said: “While as jockeys we would prefer not to have seen penalties for whip offences significantly increased, we also have to accept that steps needed to be taken to prevent breaches of the whip rules.
“I am pleased that the introduction of the review panel will increase consistency of officiating, and focus not only on penalties but also improving standards of riding.
“The introduction of disqualification for certain offences is a major step, but I think we all share the same hope and expectation which is that it is a rule that will rarely, if ever, need to be used as it will serve as a significant deterrent to jockeys using the whip too frequently.”
