'My career is finished' - Brock hits out at reaction to his use of modified whip

Jockey Danny Brock believes his career has been ended by the furore over his seven-day ban for marking a horse with a whip modified with elastic bands, which he said on Friday had been left there by mistake.

The BHA has decided to review penalties for using modified whips as a result of the case which Brock said has led to death threats and threats of physical harm.

Brock, 27, was fined £140 after marking Resurrected, who was backed down to 10-1 from 25-1 before winning, during a 6f contest at Chelmsford in September after stewards discovered the rider had used a whip with two elastic bands attached.

A BHA disciplinary panel subsequently replaced the fine with a seven-day suspension, but following outcry on social media the sport’s governing body stated the rules would be further reviewed as “standard penalties for an offence of this nature do not seem sufficient”.

Brock stated the elastic bands, which he said were used to hold his whips together in his kit bag, were mistakenly left on when he went out to ride, and that he would never intentionally harm a horse he was riding.

BHA ready to toughen penalties for modified whips after horse is marked

He said on Friday: “I took the punishment and the fine and I think it’s disgraceful what’s happening to me. I’m getting messages come through about people wanting to break my legs and telling me they hope I end up in a wheelchair or die. I don’t understand why I need to be dragged back into this and made out to be a bad person.

“I didn’t tamper with my stick with the intention of hurting the horse. I mistakenly left an elastic band on it when I took it out. It was a genuine mistake. I didn’t go out there with any intention to harm the animal. I’m the same as any other jockey. You have your whip there to correct the horse if you have to, but I didn’t go out there with the whip with the intention of hurting the horse – I never would.”

The written reasons for the suspension are due from the disciplinary panel on Monday, but the BHA insisted on Friday that a statement on its intentions to review the modified whip penalty was necessary prior to their release.

A spokesman said: “The BHA stated that it could not comment on the specifics of Mr Brock’s hearing until the independent disciplinary panel’s written reasons are published.

"However, we received a significant number of enquiries from the media about our penalty structures in general, and in response to these gave the view that a standard fine of £140 for using a modified whip – whatever the circumstances – does not seem to be a suitable penalty.

“It is many years since we have had a case involving a modified whip and the fact that this rule has needed to be applied again has shone a light on the fact that the existing penalties are not sufficient.”

However, Brock believes the public perception of him now means he will no longer be able to pick up rides with the jockey also having ridden during the all-weather boycotts at the start of the year.

“This will completely finish me off – I’m 100 per cent sure of that,” he said. “People are now classing me as a horse beater in public and what owner and trainer is going to want to put someone everyone is calling a horse beater on their horse? People are treating me like I’m a murderer – it’s madness.

“I was struggling to pick up rides anyway, first from riding during the boycott and now because of this. I got used by trainers then to get winners and prize-money and now looking back I probably punished myself more than anything by riding then.

“My name didn’t need to be dragged back into this. If they [the BHA] wanted to revisit the rules then they should have done that behind closed doors as a team, not by bringing me back into it when I’ve had my ban and the fine.”

He added: “I have got a family to look after as well. They are behind me helping me out but I have to feed them and my career is finished, what am I going to do now? You can’t stop people saying what they want to say and having an opinion, but the way they’ve sprung it back out after six weeks is craziness. It’s disgraceful.”

Resurrected, who was bought by Brock as a two-year-old, improved significantly on her previous form when winning at Chelmsford, having been beaten a total of 88 lengths in her first three starts resulting in a rating of just 30.

Charlie McBride: trainer of ResurrectedCredit: Mark Cranham

Trainer Charlie McBride admitted the filly was fancied before the race, having improved in her work at home and given the quality of the opposition she was facing, but he added that he had no knowledge of Brock using a modified whip before the race.

He said: “She was so slow we ran her over a mile and a quarter twice before she showed a bit more when we dropped her back in trip. She got a mark of 30 but we thought she was probably capable of winning a 0-55.

“We went for that classified race and it turned out to be a poor race and she was entitled to run well, so we had a bet on her as we thought she had a winning chance. It was the right race for the horse and the only reason she was such a big price was because she was rated 30, but she should never have been rated that.

“I didn’t know anything about [the whip] and it wouldn’t be something I’d be looking for either. I’m not watching the jockey and I’m not checking his gear, I’m focusing on making sure the saddle is on right and that sort of thing. I never noticed it and only became aware afterwards when I was interviewed on the day.”

He added: “I haven’t fallen out with Danny and have never had a row. I thought it was a stupid thing to do, unquestionably, and he should have checked his equipment more carefully.”

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