BHA defends whip rule procedure in wake of Alphonse Le Grande Cesarewitch disqualification

The BHA has defended its whip rules and procedures following the controversial disqualification of Alphonse Le Grande in the Cesarewitch  due to a breach of the threshold.

The controversy reignited debate around the rules, including whether disqualification should take place on the day and whether the rules are fair and proportionate.

In a blog published on Friday, the governing body warned of a "a catastrophic mistake" if public perception on the subject was ignored and revealed polling data showing 39 per cent of adults have concerns about horse welfare which discourage them from engaging in racing, with the whip the second most cited issue behind deaths and injuries.

The most negative views on the whip came from younger age cohorts, particularly those in the 18-34 bracket, the BHA said.

New rules have generally worked well, the blog argued, but the BHA said it is "actively working" to address a high proportion of breaches from apprentice, conditional, amateur and non-GB riders. Collectively, this group accounts for 41 per cent of whip offences, although it takes only 22 per cent of rides in Britain.

Alphonse Le Grande was the third winner and eighth runner to be disqualified from 150,000 starters since the new rules were introduced and the BHA said it sent a "clear message" of a zero-tolerance approach to overuse of the whip.

The aspect that has drawn most ire following the Cesarewitch was the fact the stewards on the day were not empowered to change the result, despite widespread speculation that the ride would incur disqualification. The decision was ultimately made by the whip review committee on Tuesday.

Alphonse Le Grande: disqualified from the CesarewitchCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

As such, bookmakers paid out on the original result and those who backed Manxman, who finished runner-up before being promoted, did not collect.

The BHA defended the procedure, citing a consensus from various participants along with bookmakers and racing broadcasters.

It also highlighted implications for racing's global betting appeal, saying punters in Asia would have "a lot of difficulty" understanding why a ride led to a horse being disqualified for a whip offence. Since the introduction of the World Pool, international activity accounts for a significant share of betting revenues.

The BHA claimed that the whip review committee also ensured consistency of decision-making with a methodology in place to assess factors such as contact, balance and whether the whip had been used for safety purposes. In several cases, the committee has reportedly avoided disqualifying a horse after being given the time to analyse each strike of the horse before determining that some use would not contribute to the count.

Read these next:

Connections of Alphonse Le Grande launch appeal against Cesarewitch disqualification 

'Lesser of two evils' - Alphonse Le Grande disqualified three days after Cesarewitch victory with jockey banned for 28 days 

Why jockeys are quietly paying the price for racing's strict whip rules 

Sign up to receive On The Nose, our essential daily newsletter, from the Racing Post. Your unmissable morning feed, direct to your email inbox every morning.