Alphonse Le Grande has been reinstated as the winner of this year’s Cesarewitch on a technicality after rider Jamie Powell was found to have used his whip nine times and not 10.
In the immediate aftermath of the race, the apprentice jockey was deemed to have whipped the horse four more times than the permitted allowance of six. Ten strikes normally means automatic disqualification.
Due to the value of the race, the Whip Review Committee awarded the handicap to the Simon and Ed Crisford-trained Manxman, who had been beaten by a nose.
However, trainer Cathy O’Leary and owners the Bet Small Win Big Syndicate challenged that decision, as did Powell, who had been handed a 28-day suspension.
An independent British Horseracing Authority disciplinary panel concluded that one of Powell’s strikes was not intentional, as he made contact with the horse moving his whip from one hand to the other.
Has the word ‘use’ been rendered useless?
The panel has yet to give its reasoning but its verdict immediately triggered a debate about the meaning of the word “use.”
If the Whip Review Committee and the disciplinary panel cannot agree on how many times a horse has been hit or, even what constitutes ‘use’, how on earth can a jockey?
Until this point the rules have been working pretty well. Plenty of jockeys have picked up bans but very rarely now do you see a jockey using his whip where it makes you wince.
But yesterday’s ruling appears to have exposed a slightly farcical flaw within the rules – that even if you make contact with a horse it might or might not be deemed ‘use’.
Though Alphonse Le Grande has been reinstated and Powell’s suspension reduced to 20 days, the size of his fine is yet to be determined.
