Lorcan Williams handed 14-day ban and Captain Bellamy disqualified from Newbury win

Lorcan Williams has been given a 14-day ban and Captain Bellamy disqualified after the jockey was found to have used his whip four times above the permitted level at Newbury this week. 

The whip review committee published its findings on Friday and deemed Williams to have used the whip 11 times from approaching the last, with none of those uses clearly for a safety purpose.

Captain Bellamy was sent off at 7-2 in the 2m4½f novice hurdle before finishing a head clear of De Kingpin, who has been promoted to first. Nativehill, Buckna and Isle Of Gold have all moved up a place to complete the first four.

The Paul Nicholls-trained five-year-old, who runs in the colours of Johnny de la Hey, is the eighth horse to be disqualified in Britain since the implementation of the new whip rules in February 2023.

Williams, who will be suspended for 14 days from January 3, missed last year's Cheltenham Festival after being suspended for 18 days for overuse of the whip and using the whip above shoulder height in the first week the rules were enforced following a winning ride aboard Makin'yourmindup in a Grade 2 at Haydock.  

The following season he enjoyed a Cheltenham Festival victory when Golden Ace landed the Mares' Novices' Hurdle for Jeremy Scott, who has since appointed Williams as his stable jockey. 

Williams is booked to partner Golden Ace in the Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day. 

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