'It's soul destroying' - 42, 35, 25 and 21-day whip bans handed out as jockeys suffer for breaching new rules

One of the jockeys banned by the BHA’s disciplinary panel on Thursday for being a repeat offender under the new whip rules has labelled their punishment as “soul destroying”.

Four riders were hit with a combined total of 123 days for contravening the rules. Established jockeys Jonjo O'Neill Jr and Marco Ghiani and apprentice Paula Muir received 21, 25 and 35 days respectively for their third breaches under the new guidelines, while Kielan Woods, who has committed five offences since the enhanced punishments were introduced earlier this year, received a staggering 42-day ban.

Muir, who has registered five winners from 51 rides this year, acknowledged she broke the rules, but has been left frustrated by the severity of the punishment. 

She said: "It’s soul destroying. I do accept that I breached the rules, but I didn’t anticipate it was going to be as harsh a penalty as it was.

“You’re thinking a lot in a race and during that period you’re counting in your head a lot. It’s not just about the number of hits, it’s about everyone else around you too.”

Muir is aware that opportunities don’t come her way as much in comparison to other riders, so being hit with such a lengthy suspension presents a challenging spell on the sidelines. 

She added: “I have the added pressure of riding a winner and trying to do well by pleasing the owners and trainers. There’s no condolences to my actions, I know what I’ve done.

“It’s few and far between with the minimal opportunities I do get to race, and ones I have a chance of winning with, so it means a lot more to me than just a fee if one wins. Some of these lads can get five or seven rides a day and maybe three of them could be winners. 

“I just think the penalties are a little harsh considering you can go from never being in this situation last season to being in this brutal situation now.”

Kielan Woods: was hit with the biggest punishment of the four ridersCredit: Edward Whitaker

Woods, 30, received the biggest ban among the riders punished and will be sidelined for 33 days due to nine of his total being suspended for six months. Seven of O’Neill Jr's 21 days and eight of Ghiani's 25 are also suspended.

The new whip rules were introduced by the BHA in February over jumps and at the start of the Flat turf campaign. The number of strikes allowed in a race was cut to a maximum of seven and six times respectively.

In total, there have been 279 rides found in breach of the new rules under both codes since they were introduced from a total of 26,053 rides.

The BHA and the Professional Jockeys Association are due to review the changes made, but the authorities believe they have mostly been a success.

A spokesperson for the BHA said: "The BHA is constantly monitoring the data around breaches of the new whip rules, and engaging in constructive dialogue with the PJA and senior jockeys.

“The BHA and PJA have also agreed that, at around the six-month stage following implementation, we would review what has worked well, what is still creating challenges and what further adjustments could be made to the framework.

"Jockeys on the whole have shown they are able to adapt to the new thresholds and deserve great credit for this. This is best exemplified by the very small number of offences incurred throughout the sport’s main festival events, when jockeys are riding under the most intense of competition.

"While a small number of riders will inevitably take more time to adapt to the new rules, the penalties for multiple referrals are designed to act as a significant deterrent towards jockeys committing multiple offences. They are also an incentive for riders to change their style. 

"The core objectives of the new rules include bringing about an overall improvement in riding standards and ensuring races are run fairly and within the rules."

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