Harry Cobden gets four-day ban for breaching whip rules in Stay Away Fay's Albert Bartlett victory

Harry Cobden has been handed a four-day ban for using his whip above shoulder height in the only case of a winning ride at last week's Cheltenham Festival breaching the new rules.

His whip use from the final flight aboard Stay Away Fay in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle on Friday was one of six referred to a review committee from a total of 444 during jump racing's most high-profile festival. Suspensions were also given to Jonathan Burke, JJ Slevin, Sean Bowen, Freddie Gordon and Lorcan Murtagh for breaches at the fixture, although they will all still be free to ride at next month's Grand National meeting.

The whip review committee convened on Tuesday and following the publication of its decisions, the BHA's chief regulatory officer Brant Dunshea praised members of the weighing room for adapting to the new guidelines.

"Our thanks go to the jockeys who competed at Cheltenham last week from Britain, Ireland and France who have worked hard to adapt their styles to ensure no horses who ran were referred to the whip review committee as a potential disqualification, and to result in so few referrals in general," he said. "No jockeys used the whip above the permitted level on any winning ride over all four days. 

"What we saw was racing of the highest quality, with a number of competitive finishes and the best horses on the day coming out on top, and it is wonderful the stories were all about the action on the track. We will continue to speak to the PJA and jockeys across both codes, jump and Flat, as we progress the roll-out of the new rules.”

Brant Dunshea: BHA chief regulatory officer praised jockeys at the Cheltenham Festival

Slevin, Gordon and Murtagh were each given eight-day bans for using the whip above the permitted level of seven strikes, with the normal four-day ban doubled in Class 1 contests. Burke will be suspended for four days for using his whip in the incorrect position after the final hurdle aboard Love Envoi when second in the Mares' Novices' Hurdle, while Bowen faces the same penalty for his ride on Fugitif, who finished second in Thursday's Magners Plate.

There had been considerable focus on how riders would adjust to competing at the festival for the first time since the changes to the rules. The new guidelines were first implemented over jumps on February 13 and will come into force for Flat jockeys from March 27 following a bedding-in period.

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