Royal Ascot reflections: The whip bans

Frankie Dettori was ruled out of the Newmarket July Festival having been found by the British Horseracing Authority’s Whip Review Committee to have used his whip seven times in the Queen Anne Stakes on John and Thady Gosden’s filly when second to Triple Time. That is one over the allotted number of six on the Flat, which triggers a four-day ban – and as the race is a Group One that penalty is doubled.

With Dettori already due to be serving a nine-day ban due to run from July 4-12 inclusive for causing interference on Saga in the Wolferton Stakes – which he is appealing – his whip ban would begin after that suspension has been served, ruling him out of the July Cup on July 15. His dates of suspension for his whip ban are July 13-15 and 17-21.

Another high-profile absentee from the July course will be Oisin Murphy, who also went over the permitted level by one in his use of the whip aboard Valiant King, who finished runner-up in the King George V Stakes. As that is a Class 2 race the four-day penalty is also doubled to eight. He will be out of action on July 11-15 and 17-19.

In the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, James McDonald was found to have gone two over the limit in finishing fourth with Artorius. He was given a ban totalling 14 days. Taking into account the value and class of race McDonald was also fined £400.

The whole situation has baffled Cunningham who said: “Just think of how many tinkerings there have been, it’s humiliating, utterly humiliating. There have been half a dozen changes already and I suspect there might be one more, Paul Struthers is riding back into town with a big white Stetson on looking to clean up Dodge City and maybe he’ll be able to get further changes.

“I’m absolutely sick of this story. I’m tired of BHA officialdom looking amateurish, really amateurish and having their homework marked by outsiders. Neil Callan is a big pal of mine and he gaslighted Dettori on Twitter and say these are double standards, I got a ban for this. Then the stewards get him in, Frankie gets a ban and Neil comes out and retweets someone saying 'these bans are still ridiculous. They need recinding as they stand'.

“It’s absurd – we are in the theatre of the absolute absurd here. I’m dying to step away from this, I’m tired of it. Last week was fantastic racing but James Macdonald got 14 days. He knew the rules, they all know the rules, 100% they do but would you blame him if he said ‘yes thanks a lot but I won’t be coming back to Ascot’?

"The bans are not proportionate they never have been, and I fear it’s a bit too late now and any change would be tinkering but how can you end a week like we had at Royal Ascot with this in the headlines again?

"The last whip crackdown in 2010 and 2011 imposed a far higher standard on riders and it produced far fewer bans and far fewer days. That’s a big win for the regulator. This one has created more days, more bans, more controversy, that’s not a win."

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