Over the stable door: For and against a race jockey losing the whip hand at the finish

Towcester intends to break with tradition and become the first “no whip” racecourse from October, a decision which has appalled champion jockey Tony McCoy and many of his colleagues.

Races held there will become “hands and heels” only if the ruling is allowed. It may prove an interesting trial but has certainly divided opinion within the racing community.

At present a whip is used for safety, correction and encouragement. The rules allow a jockey to use their whip up to nine times after the last obstacle, only once every three strides – allowing a horse time to respond – and below shoulder height. The whip itself conforms to strict safety standards and is cushioned.

Jockeys face tough penalties for any slight waiving of the rules. Every move is scrutinised on monitors by race stewards during and after a race, with lengthy bans if it is deemed a jockey has ridden too hard or too soft. These extremely skilled professionals tread a fine line in order to keep everyone satisfied.

Kieran Fallon, arguably one of the best flat jockeys of our time, was interviewed on the subject recently. He believes it should be left to those on board to be the best judge. Ironically, he missed the Guineas meeting at Newmarket recently after failing to overturn a ban for not riding his horse hard enough in a race at Kempton.

Top Yorkshire jumps trainer Sue Smith believes the answer maybe to crack down on repeat offenders who don’t help the image of the sport and says: “There is no excuse for jockeys continually breaching the rules, although it can happen in the heat of the moment. If we were harsher with repeat offences it would be a more sensible solution than banning it.”

All horses respond differently to the whip and it is a jockey’s job to understand what works for each animal.

Taking that choice away from them is suggesting incompetence and mistrust in their ability, a plain insult.

Certain horses I have ridden needed encouragement to get into top gear during a race but for others one crack is too many. Overuse of the stick can soon switch off a horse’s interest in racing.

It is important to remember in the training of a racehorse the whip is used as an encouragement rather than punishment – the opposite to general riding horses.

Tom Bannister, clerk of the course at Skipton races, last week did a sterling job. This was the only course in the country offering good to soft ground last weekend, providing a competitive number of runners.

Tom puts a tremendous effort in to running an efficient meeting, taking it upon himself to organise everything. I am on the committee but merely await my instructions. I cannot recall when he last held a committee meeting. Tom hates delegating.

Large overheads last season took a whopping chunk from our race day profits so this year Tom was intent on reining in. Unbeknown to me a target of his cost-cutting appeared to be the changing room toilets which are used by all the jockeys.

As a well-built ex-jockey, Tom is aware of the drastic measures many male riders take on race mornings to rid themselves of any remaining pounds. They rely on a loo being close to hand before weighing out. With the nearest one a 20-minute round trip away, I sympathised with them.

The ladies resorted to a nearby stream in desperation. Fine, if a trusted friend (who isn’t likely to produce a phone and Facebook an embarrassing photo of you to the world) shields you from the overlooking paddock. But it’s not an ideal situation as racing boots are barely waterproof.

I wondered if Tom was playing a cruel trick or it had been a complete oversight? Fortunately the latter turned out the case so he is forgiven.

I am not sure if those perspiring gentleman jockeys who stood panicking in a long, winding public loo queue are going to be as lenient as me.