British Horseracing Authority chief executive Nick Rust revealed this week he is considering implementing harsher penalties for whip use violations in that country.
Rust pointed to comments from jockey Hayley Turner after her win at Royal Ascot that the fine of £1,600 and nine-day suspension she incurred would likely have no impact on her riding style going forward.
According to a Racing Post report, Rust also noted The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Safety Committee’s advisory, released earlier this week, that the whip be eliminated for encouragement and used only for safety correction purposes. And he says, the whip debate that has raged in Great Britain for a number of years does not seem to be going away.
“According to a survey recently, 98 percent of people under the age of 30 have never seen a horse in the flesh in Britain — that’s the background we’re up against trying to run this sport,” Rust said.
Read more at Racing Post
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