Whip Review Group issues report

The Whip Review Sub-Committee set up by the Turf Club last September to review the use of the whip in Irish horseracing has issued its report.

The Sub-Committee was asked to examine this area as a result of the BHA's radical changes to the whip rules in the UK and having consulted with a wide range of industry stakeholders they have issued a number of rule changes and recommendations that come into effect from 2nd July 2012.

The changes fall short of imposing a maximum number of strikes on the horse and no horse will be disqualified if its rider breaks the whip rules.

The following is the complete report issued by the Turf Club:

Report of Whip Review Sub-Committee

Introduction

The Stewards of the Governing Bodies announced the setting up of a Whip Review Sub-Committee on 30th September 2011 following the publication of the BHA’s “Review of the use of the whip in Horseracing”.

The members of the Sub-Committee were:

■ Leslie Crawford – Chairman, (former trainer and current member of the Irish National Hunt Steeplechase (I.N.H.S.) Committee

■ Tom Rudd (former national hunt jockey and current member of the Turf Club and I.N.H.S. Committee)

■ Colin Magnier (former leading amateur rider and current member of the Turf Club and I.N.H.S. Committee)

■ Laurence McFerran (member of the I.N.H.S. Committee and breeder)

■ Peter Matthews (head of on-course integrity activities and senior stipendiary steward)

In addition the committee received executive support from Denis Egan (Chief Executive of the Turf Club), Josh Byrne (I.N.H.S. Registrar) and Vincent Hughes (Integrity Support Officer).

The terms of reference for the Sub-Committee were:

i. to examine the BHA recommendations in the context of the current Irish whip rules and guidelines with a view to determining how many, if any, of the recommendations should be introduced in Ireland.

ii. to consult widely with industry stakeholders on the use of the whip in Ireland.

iii. to consider any other matters relating to the use of the whip which were not addressed or where no recommendation was made in the BHA report.

iv. to make whatever recommendations are necessary for consideration by the Stewards of the Governing Bodies.

In total the sub-committee met with 11 representative and 3 interested parties namely:

i. Irish Racing Writers

ii. Association of Irish Racecourses

iii. Turf Club veterinary surgeons

iv. Racegoers’ Consultative Forum

v. Irish Racehorse Trainers Association

vi. Association of Irish Racecourse Veterinary Surgeons

vii. Qualified Riders Association

viii. Association of Irish Racehorse Owners

ix. Blue Cross Ambulance Service

x. RACE

xi. Irish Jockeys Association

xii. Paddy Power Bookmakers

xiii. Derek O’Connor – champion point-to-point rider

xiv. Conor O’Dwyer – former leading national hunt rider and current trainer

The sub-committee also received 7 written submissions.

There was a great degree of unanimity in the various submissions made and while it wasn’t possible to accept all suggestions, it was possible to incorporate the majority of proposals because of the similarity of what was being proposed. There was an acceptance that there isn’t a problem with the use of the whip in Ireland. This is borne out by the paucity of complaints received by any of the groups that met with the sub-committee or who made written submissions. There was also an acceptance that the stewards were policing the current rule fairly and that it was important to ensure that the stewards continue to have discretion in the application of rules and regulations.

The following are the recommendations of the Whip Review Sub-Committee. The recommendations have been accepted by the Stewards of the Governing Bodies and will apply with effect from 2nd July 2012.

Rules

There will be no change to the current whip rules with the following exceptions:

i. The use of the cushioned whip will be mandatory.

ii. No whip type will be permitted to be used in a race unless it has been approved in advance by the Stewards of the Governing Bodies.

iii. The Stewards of the Governing Bodies will only approve whips that conform to the following specifications:-

• the maximum length (including flap) should not exceed 70 centimetres

• there must be no binding within 17 centimetres of the end of the flap

• the minimum diameter for a whip should be 1 centimetre

• the overall weight must not exceed 160 grams

• the contact area of the shaft should be smooth, with no protrusion or raised surface, and covered by shock absorbing material throughout its circumference such that it gives a compression factor of at least 6 millimetres

• the downward vertical tip deflection, caused by a 1 kg mass located 57cm from the clamped end of a riding whip, must be between 12-15cm

i. The use of the whip above shoulder height will be prohibited.

ii. The use of worn whips will be prohibited.

iii. Whips will be routinely inspected by Turf Club officials to ensure that they are in good condition and that they conform to the required standard.

Penalties and Guidelines

i. The number of strikes will not be used to determine a breach of the rules; it will be left to the discretion of the stewards.

ii. Horses will not be disqualified if the whip rules are breached.

iii. In any twelve month period a rider may receive a caution for any breach of the whip regulations provided it is his first offence and that such breach would not merit a sanction greater than a caution. Only one caution may be given to a rider in any twelve month period.

iv. Penalties will increase for riders for each subsequent whip offence committed in any twelve month period unless the stewards are satisfied that exceptional circumstances prevail.

v. For the purposes of the application of the new penalty structure, all riders will be deemed not to have committed any whip offences in the previous twelve months i.e. from 2nd July 2011 to 1st July 2012.

vi. There will be greater penalties for overuse of the whip on horses out of contention and on riders who strike the horse in an incorrect place.

General

i. There will be no change to the current rules with regard to riding suspensions applying on Group 1/Grade 1 days.

ii. There will be greater emphasis on educating young riders on the correct use of the whip and senior jockeys will be used where possible to do this. All riders applying for a license for the first time will have to attend a course in RACE focusing specifically on the use of the whip.

iii. There will be more information available to the public on the use of the whip and the type of whip allowed.

iv. The same standards for the use of the whip will apply whether on the racecourse or at point to points.

Appreciation

The Stewards of the Governing Bodies would like to thank the Whip Review Sub-Committee for their work. They would also like to thank all of the representatives of the various Industry bodies and everyone else who gave freely of their time and contributed to the report.