It was confirmed on Tuesday by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) that Alphonse Le Grande (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), first past the post in Saturday's Cesarewitch Handicap at Newmarket, has been disqualified after apprentice jockey Jamie Powell was found to have used his whip above the permitted level. The race has been awarded to the original runner-up, Manxman (Ire) (Cracksman {GB}).
In a statement, the BHA said, “Following his ride on Alphonse Le Grande in the Club Godolphin Cesarewitch Handicap on Saturday 12 October, apprentice jockey Jamie Powell was referred to the Whip Review Committee (WRC) for use of the whip above the permitted level.
“Having reviewed the footage and taken evidence from the jockey, the stewards on the day counted that the rider had used his whip 10 times, which is four uses above the permitted level of six in a Flat race. The ride and all evidence was therefore referred to the WRC, as is standard practice.
“The WRC meets every Tuesday and Friday. Having reviewed the race and the evidence, the WRC have confirmed that the whip was used on 10 occasions by Mr Powell. All 10 uses made contact with the horse, and none of the uses were clearly and unequivocally for safety purposes only.
“As 10 uses of the whip is four above the permitted level, Alphonse Le Grande has been disqualified from the race. In addition, Jamie Powell has been suspended for 28 days, this being a Class 2 contest with a total prize fund of more than £150,000. As a result of the disqualification, the Club Godolphin Cesarewitch has been awarded to original runner-up, Manxman.
“Should they wish to, connections of Alphonse Le Grande may appeal this decision. They have seven days to lodge an appeal, which would be heard by an independent Judicial Panel.”
Brant Dunshea, chief regulatory officer for the BHA, added, “Disqualification was introduced as a deterrent against flagrant misuse of the whip, in order to safeguard the fairness of race results and perception amongst the sport's fans. It has since been adopted by other major racing nations.
“It sends a clear message that we do not tolerate misuse of the whip. There is simply no excuse for using the whip four times or more above the permitted level. It is encouraging that there have been so few instances of this being the case since the rule was introduced, with this being only the third time a winner has been disqualified for egregious overuse of the whip.
“We understand that some customers will question why this matter cannot be resolved on raceday, especially those who backed the on-the-day runner-up Manxman. However, this would present its own challenges, and the consultation process of the whip review revealed a strong preference from several key audiences that these matters should be handled away from raceday.”
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