Don't judge how well the new whip rules are working solely on the size of the bans handed out

Nobody enjoys seeing riders clocking up major suspensions and there will no doubt be plenty of calls going into the Professional Jockeys Association after the latest round of whip bans.

Four riders up before the review committee on Thursday were stood down for 42, 35, 25 and 21 days, all for having fallen foul of the new regime at least three times and, in the case of Kielan Woods, for incurring the displeasure of officials on a fifth occasion. 

These are long suspensions in anyone’s language and the loss of income for each individual is going to be substantial. None of this is cause for celebration. But a wave of such bans was always going to come and there is logic to increasing the penalties for repeat offences in line with the way one-off issues are dealt with.