WHIP-RULE BACKLASH IN BRITAIN

By Graham Potter | Monday, October 17, 2011

British horse racing is on the brink of revolt today.

A strike by riders, scheduled for today, was only averted when the British Horseracing Authority issued an invitation to representatives of the Professional Jockeys' Association to join them for talks on the subject of its new whip rule which has created a storm of controversy in the few days it has been in existence.

The new rule came into effect just five days before the inaugural Qipco Champions Day, a new showcase day on the Autumn calendar.

The rule, in essence, serves to provide a radical change to the rider’s options with regard to whip use. With that, some riders natural style will also be compromised and so, while the degree of adjustment would differ from one rider to the next, the inescapable fact about the new rules implementation was that an adjustment would be necessary … and the law-makers decreed that it would have to be made with immediate effect.

That riders, some of whom had been riding a particular way for decades, were asked to make the adjustment virtually overnight coming in to a meeting offering jockeys the richest prize ever contested on a British racecourse was always going to be a recipe for disaster.

That disaster arrived for jockey Christophe Soumillon after he claimed a stirring victory on Cirrus Des Aigles (who defeated So You Think) in the Group 1 Champion Stakes.

Punishment for any transgression of the new whip rule allows the forfeiture of riding fees and prize-money by any jockey crossing that newly defined line. In Soumillon’s case one particular touch of his mount with the whip cost the rider more than £50,000 - the biggest financial penalty in the history of British Turf.

Ironically, Soumillon was actually within the new limit of seven strikes with the whip for flat racing Britain.

Soumillon only hit Cirrus Des Aigles six times in all, but he fell foul of the new rule because a rider is now only permitted to hit a horse five times from the 200m mark.
Soumillon’s six uses of the whip was thus one more than allowed over the final furlong, but one less than allowed in the entire race.

You would be hard-pressed keeping up with the numbers watching from the grandstand yet alone when embroiled in the heat of battle.

Imagine chasing as good a horse as So You Think and settling own to ride out Cirrus Des Aigles with all of your focus on the formidable task at hand. There are three horses to your inside blocking out the track markers and your head is down and you are one with your horse as you push towards a Group 1victory.

But wait a minute! You had better risk getting off your mount off balance at a vital stage of the running while you stand up a bit in your saddle to see where the furlong marker is so that you don’t hit your horse at the wrong time. Ok, you’ve done that … but, oh no, they’ve got away from you now. The race, and all the money punters placed on you, is lost.

A stupid example, maybe. An impractical rule, certainly … and one that Soumillon, for one, seems set to challenge.

The rider has indicated he will take the British Horseracing Authority to court over his loss of earnings episode at Ascot on Saturday. Apart from the financial penalty incurred, Soumillon was also suspended for five days.

Speaking to The National, Soumillon said, "I will take a good lawyer to this because what has happened is completely unbelievable. The rules they have made will not be accepted in a European court or anywhere else in the world.

"I tried to count, but I couldn't. You can't do everything. You can't look for the marker, look for the horses, count the times you use the whip and ride a finish," he said.

"I was just besides So You Think, one of the tallest horses plus the jockey, and I couldn't see the marker. Have you seen one sportsman make such a little mistake in any sport around the world and get a fine like that? I never saw Zinedine Zidane get a fine like this, or Michael Schumacher in Formula One."

Soumillon, who has enjoyed Group 1 success in no less than eight countries called for unification of whip rules throughout the world.

"We need a real understanding everywhere," he said. "How can you change your riding style from country to country? They don't in other sports - in rugby the rules are the same worldwide."

Paul Roy, the chairman of the BHA, also speaking to The National, responded with this defense of the ruling.

"Christophe walked into that weighing room before the race and he knew the rules. He knew he had five hits inside the final furlong and he hit six times," he said.

“We are only a week in to these new laws and we have some serious quirks here and we are going to sort it out," Roy added.

Soumillon is the second big name rider to be effected by the new whip rule.

His case comes hot on the heels of the treatment of Richard Hughes who was banned for a total of fifteen days for two borderline offences within the first four days of racing under the new rule. (Hughes also hit his mounts less than seven times in the running, but six times in the final furlong).

Ruled out of the lucrative Breeders' Cup by his suspension, Hughes was so disgusted with the outcome he chose relinquish his license last Thursday with immediate effect.

"I can't ride horses knowing that I'm not doing myself and the owners who pay £100 a time justice," Hughes told the Racing Post. "I will only consider starting again if there is a review of the rules. I would rather sweep roads than do half a job.

"We're allowed to hit them seven times and both times I've been done I've hit them six times, which is less than the amount you're allowed and I've got a 15-day ban because of it and I miss the Breeders' Cup.

"They've made the rules so you hit them more, so you have to get two into them before the furlong pole as then you've only got five left. I was always told as a young jockey the last jockey who goes for his whip normally wins."

Interviewed by the Racing UK satellite channel, Hughes added: "They're taking the art of race riding away from me. It's like telling Lionel Messi not to use his left foot anymore."

Hughes also suggested that jockeys may ignore the rules when they are racing with huge prizes and multimillion-pound stallion careers at stake.

"The people who made these rules have no idea how hard it is, because they don't ride," Hughes said.

"Frankel could go from being worth £100m to £50m for the sake of two smacks. What would you do?"

The new rules also forbid racehorse owners reimbursing jockeys for the loss of prize money due to a breach but Hughes suggested that it will be impossible to enforce the ban when a rider's efforts have secured a major prize.

"Do they really think that?" Hughes said. "Do they really think that people won't be looked after?"

So many questions.

Whether the meeting today between the British Horseracing Authority and representatives of the Professional Jockeys' Association will provide any answers remains to be seen.

The bottom line though, is that the importance of the meeting cannot be underestimated and the outcome, either way, will have repercussions for racing as we know it.

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