Prescott and McCain support call to throw out winners for whip overuse

Leading trainers Sir Mark Prescott and Donald McCain on Tuesday joined Charlie Fellowes in calling for use of the whip above the permitted level to result in disqualification.

Fellowes suggested in a guest column in Tuesday's Racing Post that his first Royal Ascot winner, Sandringham scorer Thanks Be, should have been thrown out due to jockey Hayley Turner's misuse of the whip – action which incurred a nine-day ban for the rider.

Prescott, who oversees the only string in Newmarket whose work riders do not carry a whip, spoke strongly on the issue and said: "The point is simple, the rules should be the same for everyone, and if you have a rule it must be enforced. I'd have no problem with it if they got rid of the rule entirely, but my preference would be to have the rule as it is and enforce it.

"I can't see any logical reason for not enforcing the rule. I don't understand why people think it is complicated. If a jockey weighs in light the horse loses the race – why is it different if they break the whip rules?

"If you lost the race it would put an end to it instantly. Jockeys shouldn't have an option to break the rules and not lose the race."

Prescott also believes the rule creates a potential perception issue for the sport.

Charlie Fellowes, seen here with Royal Ascot winner Thanks Be, has called for tougher whip regulationsCredit: Edward Whitaker

"The other problem with the rule, of course, is they've managed to come up with something which is vastly more likely to be broken on the biggest days," he explained. "You seldom see jockeys going over the limit on the smaller days, but when it's a big occasion and there's a lot on the line, that's when it is most likely to be broken as it won't cost them the race.

"How's that for a rule? You've created something that is most likely to be broken when everyone is watching and it is most likely to cause a problem for the sport.

"An argument stating you couldn't disqualify the winner as punters who'd backed it would be up in arms doesn't hold true either, because there are the same number of people who are on the horse who finished second and have every right to feel aggrieved."

Leading jumps trainer McCain is in agreement with Prescott despite horses in that sphere having to race over significantly further. He said: "For me it's a no-brainer. I had a meeting with the BHA a number of years ago as they weren't happy with my stable jockey's use of his stick and I said it's quite simple, throw the horse out.

"I've been on the other side of it, I had a horse beaten a short-head at Cheltenham when the horse who beat it was struck 16 times and it leaves a sour taste. Derek O'Connor stayed perfectly within the rules on my horse. Sure, the lad who won was banned but who cares?

"They say for gambling reasons it could never happen but I'm not a gambler so I don't understand why – it seems the most straightforward way of dealing with the issue to me. It's nonsense you can break the rules and win."

Jason Maguire celebrates Grand National success aboard BallabriggsCredit: Edward Whitaker

The biggest success of Donald McCain's career came when Ballabriggs won the 2011 Grand National, with jockey Jason Maguire picking up a five-day ban for using his whip a total of 17 times on the run-in.

"Would he [Ballabriggs] have won [the Grand National] had he [Maguire] used his whip less? I think it's fair to say, yes, he would," said McCain, whose father Ginger famously won the race four times, including on three occasions with the legendary Red Rum.

"But it's a culture that needs to change. I agree with the stick, it has a place in the sport, but I don't think you should be rewarded for breaking the rules."

William Haggas, who Fellowes wrote "had a very different position to mine" does not agree with disqualification for overuse of the whip but is not against greater punishments being meted out for rule breaches.

Haggas said: "Where I disagree with Charlie is I don't see why the owner should be punished if a jockey misuses the whip. The jockey is the only one who uses it, not the owner, not the trainer, not the lad, so if they overuse it they should be punished but not the others.

"We're the only sport where you can break the rules and still keep the contest, and I get Charlie's argument, they'd soon stop if they got disqualified. But I'd be more draconian with the punishment. People say you can't ban jockeys for three months but there's no reason you can't, and they'd need to work out if they wanted to win and have three months off, or stay within the rules.

William Haggas: 'It's an absolute myth if people think trainers and owners would ask a jockey to go out and beat a horse to win'Credit: Edward Whitaker

"It's an absolute myth if people think trainers and owners would ask a jockey to go out and beat a horse to win, so I don't see why they should be punished as well."

The BHA is currently in the midst of a data analysis project of the issue and spokesman Robin Mounsey said: "The BHA is currently carrying out a significant project to assess data compiled since the last whip review in 2011, which will be discussed by the horse welfare board and help inform the future direction of travel on this issue."

A change to the whip rules in 2011 resulted in riders forfeiting their riding fee and prize-money for some breaches. The deterrent did not work as intended, however, and the penalty was removed following the heated industry reaction to Christophe Soumillon being initially stripped of his prize-money after Cirrus Des Aigles' win in the 2011 Champion Stakes.

While disqualification may appear a simpler solution it is not a straightforward issue as, unlike with interference, it is much harder to quantify how much, if any, impact a rider's overuse had on the outcome. It also introduces the integrity risk of a rider being able to get a horse disqualified while visibly appearing to be trying to achieve the best possible placing.

Overuse of the whip resulting in disqualification could also have an impact on betting turnover with it taking longer to confirm results and return money to punters.

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