Stricter punishments for whip and interference breaches brought into effect in Ireland

Stricter punishments for whip and interference breaches will come into effect in Ireland next month.

From July 3, a higher entry point for riders breaching either the whip or interference rules for the first time will be implemented and there will be significantly increased penalties for subsequent rule breaches. 

The revised penalty guideline for a rider with a clean record who is found to have ridden carelessly is a two-day suspension. There will be a bedding-in period that will allow stewards to issue a lesser sanction, but a ban of no less than four days will be issued if a jockey is subsequently found in breach of the careless riding rule for a second time. 

The more serious riding offences of improper and dangerous riding will have significantly higher first-time sanctions of seven and 21 days respectively and the stewards may issue higher penalties than the guidelines should they deem the offence is more serious. 

Whip breaches will also have a higher entry point, with increased sanctions for every strike above the permitted level and additional penalties for technical offences such as jockeys raising their arm above shoulder height or not giving their mount sufficient time to respond. 

There will be some discretion shown by stewards during a bedding-in period but a minimum four-day suspension for any subsequent breach of the whip rules will be imposed within the next nine months of the offence. 

The new penalty guidelines were proposed by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board stewarding committee, following an extensive review of data, races and penalties issued in recent years and a period of consultation between the IHRB and the Irish Jockeys Association. The IHRB board of directors approved the revised guidelines for introduction after the Irish Derby on July 2. 

There have also been some minor amendments to the rules on suspensions, where riders who incur a two-day ban or less can choose to serve the suspension on dates of their choosing upon agreement with the IHRB, and the Group 1/Grade 1 exemption has been increased from three to four days, meaning riders incurring a four-day suspension or less can defer any of these dates should they fall on a Group 1 or Grade 1 day.

'A common sense approach has been taken'

Leading Flat jockey Shane Foley said: "I don't think the changes are as stringent for us as they are for the lads in England. It's very frustrating for them over there. Our penalties are being upped but we don't have to adapt to a massive change of styles or anything like that. There seems to have been a common sense approach taken.

"I think the jockeys overall are reasonably happy and there are no big changes to the rules or anything like that. They haven't gone and done something stupid."

Jump jockey Keith Donoghue agreed. "The changes don't seem to be as severe as what has happened in Britain, so hopefully we can all adapt accordingly," he said.

Paul Murtagh, IHRB head of raceday operations, said: “We believe they will assist in ensuring Irish racing is safer for all participants, thus demonstrating our commitment to the welfare of both horse and rider.

“Having spent some time considering if the IHRB should adapt either their rules or penalty guidelines or both in relation to the whip, the IHRB stewarding committee felt it prudent at this time to leave the rules as they are and focus on the penalty guidelines, in the hope that greater penalties will effect a change in rider behaviour. In that context, the impact and effectiveness of the guidelines will be kept under review."

Read these next:

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

Ex-jockeys' chief Struthers warns of growing discontent in weighing room as whip suspensions mount up 

'I was sure I hadn't broken the rules and I was hoping that justice would prevail' - rider overturns whip ban 

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