Top jump jockey Harry Cobden has defended the ride he gave Cheltenham winner Il Ridoto last weekend, saying: “Rides like that shouldn’t be getting penalised.”
The stable jockey to champion trainer Paul Nicholls claims he was told by stewards he would have received a 24-day ban under the controversial new whip rules due to come into force on February 13.
It led Nicholls to call for the postponement of their introduction until after the Cheltenham and Grand National festivals, warning they would be “a disaster for the sport”.
Cobden kept below the whip strike limit in guiding Il Ridoto to victory in a handicap chase on Cheltenham Festival Trials Day but was called in by stewards over the height of his whip hand.
“Within the inquiry the images were frozen where they thought my hand was over head height,” he told Sky Sports Racing. “You could see a little bit of daylight between my hand and my head therefore I was in breach of that rule.
“At the end of the inquiry I asked a couple of stewards acting on the day - this was off mic - and I said basically I am going to get 24 days and the steward said, ‘Yes, it’s going to be something around 24 days’.”
The BHA has disputed Cobden’s claim, saying jockeys were given no indication of possible sentences at Cheltenham which are determined separately by the Whip Review Committee.
“It’s quite worrying for us jockeys having suspensions like that running up to the big festivals,” he said.
“In terms of race riding, I have no issue getting done if I’m hitting a horse in the wrong place, going over the limit, or using excessive force or if it looks wrong. You should get banned.
“But for good rides like that, just say that was after February 13, I could miss the Cheltenham Festival.”
He added: “We need to look at this rule, certainly change the wording of the rule. From my experience on Saturday I think that’s perfectly good race riding.
“No one was offended by the way I rode that race. There was no excessive force used. I thought I used my stick correctly. I didn’t go over the permitted amount. Rides like that shouldn’t be getting penalised.”
The BHA reported on Tuesday that of the whip offences referred to the Committee between January 13-26 during the bedding-in period, only two two day bans would have been imposed.
It added that “the speculation being posted on social media regarding ‘suspensions’ having been imposed on some rides which are covered by this period is categorically incorrect.”
