BHA publishes Whip Consultation Report

The BHA will publish its full whip report today.

The report contains 20 recommendations made by the Whip Consultation Steering Group, which included experienced individuals such as trainers, jockeys owners and breeders, as well as representatives from the media, parliament, and horse welfare groups.

Owners were well represented on the Steering Group by Racehorse Owners Association (ROA) Board Members, Celia Djivanovic and Tom Goff, who brought a wealth of experience and expertise to discussions, and played a significant role in shaping the recommendations.

The full report can be found here, and the full set of recommendations, which have now been approved by the BHA Board, can be found here. 

It is envisaged that the recommendations will come into effect from late Autumn this year, following a period of technical discussion, particularly with jockeys and other relevant industry participants, to support the transition to the new rules.

 

THE RECOMMENDATIONS

The Steering Group contained a wide range of views on the use of the whip for encouragement, and whether it should continue to be permitted. While most of the Group decided in favour of keeping it, not everyone shared that view, and it was agreed that there must be movement on both the rules and penalties.

The agreement that has been reached allows for the whip to be retained for encouragement, with the number of permitted uses to remain unchanged (seven in a flat race and eight in a jumps race), but with the action restricted to use in the backhand only.

It was also agreed that there should be more consistency in the application of the rules, and a greater focus on training and education.

The Whip Rules

• Use of the ProCush whip should continue to be permitted for encouragement, with strong and appropriate regulation of its use
• The whip rules will be amended to restrict use for encouragement to the backhand position only. Use in the forehand will only be permitted for safety purposes.

Penalties

Steering Group members felt that the current penalty framework does not provide a sufficient deterrent against breaches of the whip rules and should therefore be strengthened. This includes a zero-tolerance approach to the most severe violations.

Consequently, the Group recommends that:

• Disqualification of the horse will be introduced into the penalty framework for particularly serious use of the whip above the permitted level, where there has been a clear disregard for the rules (used four or more times above the permitted level).

There were different views about disqualification, but the Group reached a consensus that it is warranted where there has been flagrant abuse of the whip rules and no doubt that the jockey has sought to gain an advantage from misuse of the whip.

It is also recommended that penalties are increased for some specific offences where the current penalty is considered inadequate, including the use of the whip above the permitted level:

• The penalty structure for use of the whip above the permitted level in major races will to be doubled compared to the same offence in standard races
• Repeat whip offences will be addressed at an earlier stage, and the penalties for repeat offences increased to deter further repetition

It was agreed that an element of discretion will continue to be applied, though guidance has been clarified to ensure greater consistency.

 

Approach to regulation and enforcement

• The regulatory approach to the whip should be reframed to drive continuous improvement, both in standards of whip use and in the consistency of stewarding.
• A whip review panel of stewards will be established away from the racecourse to assess all potential whip offences and apply sanctions or remedial actions where appropriate.

The full details of how the review panel will operate will be determined through the course of the technical discussions. However, the intention is that the panel will meet frequently so that riders are not waiting for days to hear about any penalties

You can read the full set of recommendations here to familiarise yourself with all of the proposals, alongside the full revised penalty framework here. 

 

NEXT STEPS

A period of technical discussions will now take place with jockeys and other relevant industry participants and officials.

These will consider any practical considerations relating to the new rules, finalise details such as the exact working of the review panel, and determine the training and education required for both jockeys and stewards prior to the new rules coming into effect.

As stated, the objective is to introduce the new rules in late Autumn, though the precise date will be determined by the technical discussions.

The BHA has developed a Q&A document, which will hopefully address any additional queries you may have. This can be viewed here.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact James Giblett in the BHA Communications team: [email protected].