Charity leader criticises whip appeal decision

A leading equine welfare group has expressed dismay at the decision to overturn the disqualification of a major race winner for breaching whip usage regulations.

The ruling relating to last month’s Cesarewitch handicap at Newmarket has been criticised from both inside and outside the sport, although a prominent veterinary organisation defended the process.

Meanwhile, broader questions about the sport’s future have been reopened after three horses died in a single fixture at the weekend.

Alphonse Le Grande was initially excluded from the 12 October contest, having been first past the post, after jockey Jamie Powell was deemed to have used his whip on the horse 10 times.

While the permitted limit for a flat race is six, the 10th strike triggered an automatic disqualification under the rules, which came into force last year.

That sanction was overturned last week after an appeal board concluded the 10th use made inadvertent contact and should not be regarded as a strike.

‘Lack of clarity’

But World Horse Welfare chief executive Roly Owers argued the question of contact was “irrelevant” to the horse’s reaction.

He said: “If the horse thinks it’s going to be hit then the impact will be the same on them mentally if not physically.”

The decision was also criticised by Simon Crisford, the joint trainer of the race’s second placed horse Manxman, as he called for “clarity” around the regulations.

In comments first reported by the Racing Post, he said: “It’s unfortunate that our horse appears to have been disadvantaged because he’s been ridden in compliance with the rules.”

Animal Aid horse racing consultant Dene Stansall criticised what he called the “inconsistency and lack of clarity” under the current rules and argued independent regulation would better protect horses.

‘Fair process’

But BEVA chief executive David Mountford argued it was inappropriate to comment on coverage of an individual case, adding: “It’s clear that racing wishes to enforce its new whip rules and one can either trust their disciplinary procedure or not.

“Personally, I believe that racing is determined to have fair processes in place to punish rule breakers and to allow appeals to be heard by an independent panel.”

News of the appeal decision preceded the deaths of three horses during the high-profile November meeting at Cheltenham on Sunday.

The sport’s governing body, the British Horseracing Authority, said it would seek to understand the circumstances of each case in its efforts to “to continue to reduce avoidable risk” in the sport.

But groups including Animal Aid and Animal Rising, which staged protests at several major fixtures in 2023, renewed their calls for a ban following the fatalities.