Jockeys being suspended for excessive whipping and ignoring the ‘yellow flag’
The most influential news that the Ascot this season has been able to make till yet has been regarding the suspension of jockeys for breaching the British Horseracing Authority’s new regulation of allowing a maximum of seven strikes of the whip during a
Flat race and not to exceed more than five of them during the final furlong.
This episode of suspensions began with Richard Hughes and Kieren Fox being underpinned for Richard whipping the Swift Blade six times in the final furlong and Fox hitting Orthodox Lad eleven times after entering the final furlong.
Natalia Gemelova received a seven day suspension at the Lingfield on Wednesday after she violated the whipping limits sent in by the British Horseracing Authority. Initially the change was welcomed by the trainers and jockeys but now it is being regretted
by the most as the percentage of prize money they get devoid on is making the matters worse for them.
Gemelova said: "I tried my best to stay within the rules, but it's harder than you think. I have got a family to feed and I've been out of luck getting banned as well as coming away from here with no money. I waited as long as I could before picking up the
whip and I'm just going to have to be more careful”.
Another disappointing ban is the one put on Tony McCoy at Wetherby that also for ten days along with nine other jockeys but this one was not due to the frequency of whipping the horses. This penalty came through when the jockeys did not stop riding even
after the stewards had waved a yellow flag.
Waving of a yellow flag during a horse race means that the race has ended voided and is no longer to be continued.
A sign in the weighing room, explaining the yellow flag procedure, reads: "If at any stage during a race you see an official waving a yellow flag, this is the sign to immediately pull up”.
The failure to abide by this led to the ten day suspension of Hughes, McCoy, Graham Lee, Danny Cook, Denis O’Regan, Alex Voy, Jonathan Bewley, Paddy Brennan and Brian Toomey. Three however did escape the punishment as they stopped their rides right in their
tracks before it was too late.
The bans and suspensions have a multi dimensional adverse impact from the jockey losing the races, forgoing the potential chances of winning and also letting go of the hard earned prize money.
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