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Discuss horse riding and ownership on our Horse forum.

Original poster

National 'winner' gets second 5 day ban for whip abuse

51 replies

IngridBergman · 11/04/2011 09:42

Jason Maguire has been given a 5 day ban for misusing the whip on Saturday.

He's done it before about 6 weeks ago, on Cool Mission. He got a ban then too.

I can't help but feel they should look at taking away his 'win' on the basis of this.

How is it fair when the second place horse could have won had he been hit that little bit harder...not to mention the fact it's tantamount to cheating.

And it clearly won't have any impact at all on how he treats his horses in the future. After all, it's all glossed over because he won the National. 5 day ban? So what.

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MollieO · 11/04/2011 09:46

I can't imagine Sam Whaley-Cohen ever hitting a horse hard. I think a 5 day ban is rubbish. A 5 week ban would have more impact.

Original poster
IngridBergman · 11/04/2011 09:51

Compared to a Nstional win though, he's going to be like 'But I won the grand national! So what!'

No one will remember the ban, but the win will go down in history etc etc. The fact he did it before speaks volumes, he just will clearly do anything to get a win. Bollocks to the welfare of the horse, which needed oxygen after the race.

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Moodykat · 11/04/2011 22:32

I agree that it is a crap punishment...I didn't even realise that it had happened until DH told me.

I also do kind of agree that they should take the win away from him - its not fair that he still gets the "glory" of winning the race.

Hulababy · 11/04/2011 22:34

How often do jockeys ride? Do they really ride daily in races? And if not, then what on earth is a 5 day ban worth?! Should be missing the next 5 big races instead.

ThatVikRinA22 · 11/04/2011 22:35

its a cruel race anyway. they should take whips off em all and let them do what they enjoy doing without being beaten into going faster.

Hulababy · 11/04/2011 22:35

The shpuld also be disqualified from the race they used the excess whip too - so, he should forfiet his first place it the national.

ManateeEquineOhara · 12/04/2011 07:37

A race with no whips at all would be a more interesting challenge than the hideousness of the GN. I hate it really.

LowRegNumber · 12/04/2011 08:18

No one on our yard were aware of it even though they followed the race. It got a tiny section on the news which surprised me as there was such a fuss leading up to the race. I do agree that they should forfeit but working out what happens to betting etc if that happened would be a nightmare.

However they should most certainly lose the right to ride the big races rather than lose a few days. It is silly, he was probably going to have a few days off after such a big race anyway!

CaveMum · 12/04/2011 08:28

You need to understand what the ban means. He was banned for excessive frequency which means he hit the horse too many times NOT that he hit the horse too hard. The horses are routinely inspected by a vet after the race and if there is any evidence that the horse has been hit too hard or in the wrong place the jockey is handed a hefty ban.

You may think that a 5 day ban is nothing, but most jockeys are freelance and therefore if they can't ride they don't earn any money - it would be like you or I being fined a week's wages.

CaveMum · 12/04/2011 08:31

I also meant to say that the ban does not take immediate effect - usually the ban starts about a week after the punishment has been handed down. Jockeys are usually booked to ride 2 days before a race (further in advance for a big race). If a ban took immediate effect it would unfairly affect any trainer that had booked the jockey to ride.

VivaLeBeaver · 12/04/2011 08:37

I thought he would when I saw the race on TV. It looked excessive in the home straight. Still, he'll get a big bonus for winning the race that'll make up for his loss of earnings.

CaveMum · 12/04/2011 08:41

The British Horseracing Authority gas put out this statement. It is worth a read if you have a few minutes as it explains what happened on the day.

As the statement says, viewers did not realise that ALL jockeys had been instructed to dismount as soon as they could after crossing the finish line because it was such a hot day. In fact the first person to get to BALLABRIGGS after the race was another jockey, Davy Russell, who had fallen earlier in the race. He helped untack the horse and led him round while water was poured over him until his lad got there.
Many other jockeys that had not completed the course were also on hand to assist the veterinary team in cooling the horses down. It is not fair to say that the jockeys do not care about their mounts.

Original poster
IngridBergman · 12/04/2011 08:49

Well I think they care about them in the way that a decorator is sure to clean his paintbrushes. In short they are tools, a means to an end. Obviously if they die you can't ride them any more and won't win anything, so you treat them like shit while you're on the course and then try to clean up the mess you have made of them afterwards.

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CaveMum · 12/04/2011 08:53

I disagree. I don't believe that anyone can work with animals without caring for them.
Most jockeys have come up through Pony Club and Pony Racing, they are horsemen (and women) through and through.

Original poster
IngridBergman · 12/04/2011 09:01

Perhaps that's how they started out. How can you say someone who's been banned twice so far this year loves his horses? Corrupted by the desperation to win is how it looks from the outside.

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Original poster
IngridBergman · 12/04/2011 09:09

'McCain said after the original ban was handed out: "I don't stop horses, we don't abuse horses - they are always at the tough end of racing - and all we do is our best.

"The horse has been marked - I can't argue with that - but the horse is notoriously lazy at the best of times."'

This taken from here

Regarding Jason Maguire's 7 day ban for MARKING the horse AND excessive whip use in February this year at Cheltenham.
'

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CaveMum · 12/04/2011 10:00

I don?t argue that jockeys have fallen foul of the rules in the past, and probably will in the future, and that their punishment should be swift and severe, but I thought we were talking about the particular incident in the Grand National.

If you want more information about the whip rules in this country, you can read them here.

There is an excellent piece about jump racing on the front and inside pages of today?s Racing Post if you get the chance to read it, written by Alastair Down. I don?t think it is up on the Racing Post website but if I get the chance I will try to retype it here.

On positive news, jockey Peter Toole, who has been in a medically induced coma since taking a heavy fall at Aintree on Saturday, was woken overnight and his CT scans appear to be clear.

CaveMum · 12/04/2011 11:52

The Racing Post have now put Alastair Down's article online. Read it here

Original poster
IngridBergman · 12/04/2011 14:15

Yes I did read it and what a load of hyperbolic, pseudo poetic crap it was too.

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Original poster
IngridBergman · 12/04/2011 14:16

I mean he can try and romanticise death as much as he likes but it changes nothing.

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CaveMum · 12/04/2011 15:42

Death is a fact of life, whether we like it or not. No one is saying it is a good thing that horses have died but to have a kneejerk reaction has the potential to make things worse - you only need to look at the increase in fatalities in Australian jump racing following the modifications that were made to the hurdles at the behest of the animal rights lobby.

MitchiestInge · 12/04/2011 17:24

Isn't Ginger McCain blaming some of the safety measures (reducing drop = more speed) for Saturday's accidents?

Good news about Peter Toole though.

Original poster
IngridBergman · 12/04/2011 17:29

Erm, if the measures weren't thought to be safe then why did the management at Aintree seek to instate them - whether they were asked to or not?

That's bonkers to blame the people who wanted the course to be safer...surely Aintree should have made sure they were safe before implementing them Hmm

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MitchiestInge · 12/04/2011 17:30

What do you want to happen Ingrid? Would you like jump racing to be banned, all racing to be banned? What about other equestrian sports?

Original poster
IngridBergman · 12/04/2011 17:30

I mean FGS you don't say 'Oh so you want us to reduce the drops? Well it'll make the going faster and less safe but, heck, if you want us to we'll do it anyway' do you? Bit passive aggressive to do that..I think they just want to lash out at anyone but their own sorry arses tbh.

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