The death of 24-year-old Michael O’Sullivan from a fall at Thurles, which occurred just three weeks before a race where speed, danger, and desire are never greater, serves as a sobering reminder of the extreme risks jockeys take on a daily basis. O’Sullivan rode two winners at the Cheltenham Festival in 2023, including aboard Marine Nationale in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, and those memories are sure to be reflected in the solemn thoughts of racegoers during a brief period of respectful silence before the same opening race of the meeting on March 11. It is devastatingly sad.
The potential for significant injury to horses and riders can never be completely eliminated, even though the home of steeplechasing is expected to offer a better experience this time around due to yearly declines in attendance and some startling customer comments from the previous year. What can be avoided though – and this is something that now bothers me ahead of any important meetings – are self destructive difficulties stemming from badly written up regulations. I’m referring to the rule that disqualifies horses whose jockeys have gone beyond the whip guidelines, which has embarrassed British racing. And since there is so much on the line at major races like Cheltenham, jockeys are more likely to try a little too hard.
Those who supported the nuclear option of disqualification for excessive use of the whip said that it wouldn’t occur again after a single demotion. A few years ago, Sir Mark Prescott and I debated the issue on “Sky Sports Racing,” and I retorted that mistakes are inevitable for everyone. There would always be the occasional breach, I thought. Sadly, it has turned out to be true. The most well-known incident to date occurred at the Cesarewitch last October, when Alphonse Le Grande, the first rider past the post, was disqualified when the stewards determined that his rider Jamie Powell had gone four strikes above the six-strike limit.
Alphonse Le Grande was restored after the BHA’s independent disciplinary body, following an appeal, surprise determined that Powell’s pivotal tenth strike was an accident and not the same as the previous nine. Backers of the nose Cesarewitch runner-up Manxman did not get payment on the day of the race or after the initial decision to disqualify him because the regulatory body has refrained from imposing whip-related disqualifications on race day (recognizing how unpleasant it may be for bettors). Everything was in disarray and gave the sport a ridiculous appearance. Lorcan Williams, a jump jockey, hit Captain Bellamy eleven times at Newbury two months later. Williams received a 14-day suspension and the horse was disqualified.
Thus, it continues to occur. Although it doesn’t happen very often, human mistake is always possible. The rule’s biggest flaw, in my opinion, is that, given the various ways that horses react, it is entirely speculative whether an additional whip blow had any bearing on the outcome, notwithstanding the awkward manner in which disqualification decisions are reached. Although it is no longer a welfare problem, no one enjoys seeing horses repeatedly lashed, even with Lorcan Williams’s modern cushioned whip. Additionally, there is a compelling argument that excessive whipping can backfire, frequently causing horses to lose their balance and momentum.
Owners, trainers, and—most importantly—the bettors who supported the victory should not be penalized for jockeys who violate the rules. The main issue is one of alternative deterrent, which can only take the shape of severe fines and suspensions if disqualification is not an option. Although such sanctions haven’t always worked in the past, the Premier Racing concept, if it’s any indication, provides a possible paradigm where a jockey who abuses the whip could be barred from several Premier meets. Hong Kong’s World Pool, which offers plenty of liquidity for backers and has grown to be a major boost to the participating racecourses, will feature Premier meetings at Newmarket, Epsom, Ascot, Sandown, Goodwood, and York throughout the summer.
Winfried Englebrecht-Bresges, the CEO of the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club, stated at the territory’s international meeting in early December that if a horse was demoted in a World Pool race because the jockey overused the whip, the race would be void for betting purposes. However, there is little uniformity in the regulations among the different jurisdictions that host World Pool races. He told the ‘Racing Post’ in an interview: “We would reimburse the wagers. Our international clients would not tolerate being disqualified for using the whip. “I respect that jurisdictions have different views but customers wouldn’t accept it.” “If you do this with customers, they may turn away forever,” he continued.
In our off-track betting centers, which have 350,000 patrons, we had a horse demoted from first to fifth place a while back for interfering, and we had to call the police because the crowd was rioting. “We have to respect the decisions of jurisdictions but we also have to protect our customers.” With the World Pool constantly growing, greatly to the advantage of some racetracks’ finances, there is a risk that some extremely embarrassing, nonsensical decision-making would result in a void betting race, which would deter bettors both at home and abroad. The first’major’ of the year should not be marred by a controversy like Cesarewitch, more quickly. The tapes will soon be up for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, with another Flat season to follow, and one has to question if the stakes surrounding disqualification for overuse of the whip are just too high.
