Whip Rules Amended Again by BHA

Following a six-month review of the whip rules, penalty structure and process, additional adjustments have been implemented by the British Horseracing Authority.

The review formed part of the ongoing dialogue and meetings between the BHA, Professional Jockeys Association (PJA) and a group of senior jockeys which has been in place since prior to the introduction of the new rules and which has resulted in a number of previous alterations.

Regulations concerning whip use underwent significant changes earlier this year, with the numbers of strikes allowed in Flat and jumps races reduced to six and seven respectively, with a tougher penalty structure for those in breach, including doubled suspensions for major races and disqualification in the most serious of cases.

Among the most recent changes, a single strike over the permitted level by a Flat rider may see the minimum penalty of four days reduced to three days if they have had 100 or more British rides since a previous offence, or two days if they have had 200 or more rides.

Races which incur a double penalty have also been revised and will now apply to all class one races and any class two contest with total prize money of £150,000 or more, or any class two race restricted to apprentices, conditionals or amateur jockeys only.

Additionally, four offences of use above the permitted level in a six-month period will now result in a referral under the 'totting up' procedure, while the top end of the penalty range had been reduced from six months to four. It will remain the case that a rider will be referred to the BHA's judicial panel if they commit five offences of any type in a six-month period.

Sam Angell, chair of the Whip Review Committee, said, “These changes reflect an ongoing process to improve the new whip rules and penalties, while retaining the original objectives, which are to ensure more judicious use of the whip for encouragement, improve the perceptions of whip use and ensure that the outcomes of races are fair.”

Data released by the BHA shows that in the last six months in a total of 37,428 rides, 425 cases were referred to the WRC with 360 breaches–equating to less than one per cent of rides.

For a complete outline of the most recent changes to whip rules, click here.

 

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‘Small Adjustments’ Made To Whip Rules After Consult With Jockeys By BHA

A selection of small adjustments have been introduced to the new whip rules, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) announced on Thursday.

There has been ongoing communication between the Professional Jockeys Association (PJA), senior jockeys under both codes and the BHA, and the rule adjustments are the result.

“We are very grateful to the PJA and to our jockeys, both for the manner in which they continue to adapt to riding under the new rules, and their constructive engagement with the process which has helped bring about these further improvements,” said Brant Dunshea, Chief Regulatory Officer for the BHA. “We will continue to liaise with the PJA and jockeys as we continue the roll-out and embedding of the new rules.”

As a result of this constructive dialogue and the BHA's monitoring of bedding-in period and implementation, the changes are below:

  1. Repeat Offences:
  • The repeat offenses rule has been change so that Any jockey will be referred to the Independent Judicial Panel following their third above permitted level-only offence within a six-month period.
  • However, a jockey will not be referred to the Independent Judicial Panel after just three 'technical' offences.
  • Instead, once a jockey commits five offences of any type (this can be a combination of above permitted level and other misuse offences) within a six-month period they will be referred to the Independent Judicial Panel.
  • Should a jockey be referred for either three above permitted level offences or five offences of any type, then these offences drop off their referral record so a jockey cannot be referred twice for the same offence
  1. Suspension dates: All suspensions imposed by the WRC should start 14-days from its written decision. Having been through the bedding-in period, and with suspensions now being imposed, the PJA and its members have asked to have the option to serve a suspension as if imposed by stewards on a raceday. Therefore, jockeys in receipt of a notice of suspension from the WRC will now have the option of requesting that the suspension commences 14 days after the date of the referral by the stewards, should they not wish to appeal the penalty. Otherwise the suspension will be served 14 days from the date of the WRC decision.
  2. Riding fees: The rule has now been changed such that should a rider be disqualified from a race due to excessive use of the whip they will also forfeit their riding fee.
  3. Whip Review Committee meetings: The Whip Review Committee (WRC) will now switch to meeting twice a week rather than once, with meet rides considered: Tuesday, Previous Thursday – Sunday and Friday, Previous Monday – Wednesday.
  4. Without regard to stride: References to the misuse offence 'Without Regard to Stride' (double strike) have been removed from the Whip Guidance. Offences of this nature will now instead be categorised as Without Time to Respond.

For more information, please visit the BHA website.

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Jack Connor Named Racing And Analytics Executive For The Thoroughbred Group

Jack Connor was named the new Racing and Analytics Executive of The Thoroughbred Group. He was previously a British Horseracing Authority (BHA) Racing Department senior analyst and a strategy manager at The Jockey Club.

The position is new within The Thoroughbred Group as the organisation develops its remit to provide representation of its five members under UK racing's new industry structure–the Racehorse Owners Association (ROA), the Thoroughbred Breeders Association (TBA), the National Association of Racing Staff (NARS), the Professional Jockeys Association (PJA) and the National Trainers Federation (NTF).

“We are pleased that Jack has agreed to join us as we seek to develop the role of the Thoroughbred Group at industry level,” said Thoroughbred Group Chair Charlie Parker. “We are confident that his analytical expertise and previous experience working with industry stakeholders will make him a great asset to us.”

Added Connor, “I'm delighted to be joining the Thoroughbred Group at this pivotal time for the sport. I'm very much looking forward to working closely with the five participant bodies and their members as we help shape and deliver on the industry's strategy.”

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Bedding-In Period For New Whip Rules For Jumps Racing Extended By A Week

The bedding-in period for the new whip rules in Jumps racing has been extended by one week, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) confirmed on Friday. This follows a meeting between the Professional Jockeys Association (PJA) and a selection of jockeys.

The extension, requested by jockeys and the PJA, was granted on account of the number of cancelled fixtures last week due to the frozen ground. The full implementation of the new rules for Jumps racing will begin on Feb. 13. The start of the bedding-in period for Flat racing remains Feb. 27, as does the Mar. 27 full implementation date for Flat racing.

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