Barry Geraghty has questioned the logic of the British Horseracing Authority’s (BHA) move to introduce new whip regulations on Monday, just four weeks before the Cheltenham festival begins.
Monday’s trio of otherwise uninspired cross-channel fixtures have the distinction of hosting the formal introduction of controversial rules with the potential to dominate the run-up to jump racing’s most high-profile fixture of the year.
The end of a lengthy BHA bedding-in period, where jockeys in Britain were advised by officials of how their use of the whip may have breached new regulations but weren’t suspended, hasn’t stopped widespread unease about their likely impact.
A reduced limit of seven strokes is unlikely to be a major problem on a mundane Monday.
But with disqualification for both horse and rider in the mix if that limit is exceeded by more than four strikes, and stringent suspensions for a range of other offences, the potential for disciplinary upheaval at Cheltenham threaten to overshadow the festival build-up.
A large majority of Irish riders are set to encounter the new rules for the first time at Cheltenham.
The Irish Jockeys Association (IJA) has said its members are at an automatic disadvantage and it is trying to help riders based in Ireland to familiarise themselves with British rules that include a contentious requirement to not use the whip over shoulder height.
Geraghty’s role as an IJA representative means the former champion jockey will be busy giving riders the benefits of his vast Cheltenham experience.
With 43 festival winners in all, he is second only to Ruby Walsh in terms of Cheltenham successes, and like other leading figures in the sport, Geraghty believes the timing of the new rules is a major problem.
“People, be they ex-riders or trainers, have different opinions [on the rules] but the timing, as Willie Mullins and Paul Nicholls have said, you’d have to wonder at the logic of that,” he said on Sunday.
“Over shoulder or over head-height is something that would have been an issue before, five or 10 years ago, and you can change your technique. I would accept that. But it’s just the timing of it.
“The English jockeys have had a bedding-in period over the last few weeks, so they’ve had a chance to adjust and know exactly what they’re dealing with. The Irish jockeys don’t have that. We’re working as an association to focus riders on their approach.
“We’ve been mostly working to raise awareness on what they can and cannot do and put in it into practice here so that come Cheltenham week their instinct is the right thing. Riders really need to focus on that, just to avoid the penalties,” Geraghty added.
The suspicion remains, though, that during the most important week of the racing old habits will resurface.
“Knowing myself, with my own experience of Cheltenham, it’s a cauldron,” Geraghty said.
“You connect on ribs rather than hindquarters, which can happen in a flying finish, you’ll be sidelined for a bit, and it could be costly with Aintree and Fairyhouse coming afterwards.
“These are minor infringements. They’re not calculated. It’s not a professional foul, it’s heat of the moment, and it’s hard to be able to keep track of everything going on.
“Say a young rider is at their first festival with a winning chance, it’s very hard to hold your head at the level of someone who’s been there for 15 years. That level of experience, that calm at the eye of a storm, that only comes from experience.
“If you haven’t that level you could find yourself with a substantial ban for minor infringements, and even disqualification,” he added.
Despite high-profile criticism of the timing, the BHA is determined to go ahead, ensuring extra focus on Monday’s action at Catterick, Wolverhampton and Plumpton, where Sam Ewing has two rides for trainer Neil Mulholland.
“If you brought it in for the flat now, that would make sense and give them a chance [to adjust] for the summer.
“If you brought it in say in August for the jump riders, that would give them a chance. But that’s not the way it’s being done,” Geraghty said.
