BHA to review penalties for riding offences after string of controversies

The BHA will launch a consultation later this year to consider whether penalties for riding offences should be increased, including those involving interference.

However, the regulator maintained it is "more than comfortable" with how the rules are being applied by stewards following a string of controversial decisions.

There have been a number of high-profile cases related to riding offences in the last three months and on Monday Tom Marquand unsuccessfully appealed against a three-day ban for careless riding, which was imposed after winning a Group 3 at Glorious Goodwood.

The BHA hopes its consultation process, which will look at sanctions across all areas and take in the views of participants, will be completed by the end of 2022, with a view to any changes potentially being implemented by the start of the 2023 Flat season.

"We've got to allow ourselves adequate time to consult on this," said Tim Naylor, the BHA's director of integrity and regulation. "It's not just interference but a review of our whole book of sanctions across the board – you don't do that often and we want to do it properly."

The next meeting of the BHA rules committee, which reports to the BHA board, is set to take place on October 26, but the findings of the forthcoming penalty consultation are unlikely to be ready by then.

"In 2019, we published the new rules of racing following a significant piece of work over a number of years to make them more accessible and straightforward," Naylor said. "During that process, we didn't change the sanction framework, which had been reviewed in 2016.

"It's right we look at our sanctions to ensure they are fit for purpose. We'll take soundings from industry stakeholders as to whether any of our penalties should be uplifted in relation to interference. We've already started this project and will roll out a consultation process."

Brant Dunshea: BHA chief regulatory officer

On whether there had been an increase in the number of inquiries and appeals relating to interference, Brant Dunshea, the BHA's chief regulatory officer, said: "These things tend to move in cycles. We've had quite a number of appeals in the last three months, but during the last 12 months, we've probably had the number we'd expect."

Dunshea added that since the penalty structure was last reviewed in 2016, in conjunction with the Professional Jockeys Association (PJA), there has been a "significant increase in bans spanning seven days or longer". According to the most recent BHA data, placings were revised in 40 races from around 150 interference inquiries in 2021.

Last month, Robert Havlin had his five-day ban for careless riding aboard Free Wind in the Lancashire Oaks quashed without the need for appeal after the BHA reviewed the decision taken by stewards.

"We're more than comfortable with the way stewards are interpreting the rules," Naylor said. "If there's ever an issue when the stewards have reached a judgement we're not happy with, we've shown recently that we're not afraid to step in and change those decisions.

"The appeals process is important, too. It's about having a legally robust and fair process. It's there for a reason and it's right our participants get the chance to appeal before an independent panel."

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Robert Havlin's controversial ban overturned by BHA without need for appeal

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Jonathan HardingReporter

Published on 9 August 2022inNews

Last updated 15:12, 10 August 2022

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