Whip rule report: Mick Fitzgerald calls for shorter and softer whips in wake of steering group recommendations | Racing News

Grand National and Gold Cup-winning rider Mick Fitzgerald says whips will need to be changed in alter to reflect the new rules that were recommended on Tuesday.

In a highly-anticipated report released by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) on Tuesday, a Whip Consultation Steering Group – including senior industry figures such as trainer John Gosden and jockey Tom Scudamore – revealed its recommendations for changes to whip rules, regulation and penalties.

The board recommended restricting jockeys to backhand use of the whip, unless for safety reasons, alongside potential disqualifications and increased fines.

That move is something that Fitzgerald, winner of the 1996 Grand National with Rough Quest, thinks would mean that the whip itself will need tweaking, in particular for jump jockeys who tend to use a longer version of the pro-cush.

“To hit the horse in the right place, it means you aren’t able to garner that much power,” Fitzgerald told Sky Sports Racing. “It’s basically using the whip as a bit of an aid to encourage the horse forward.

“On the other hand, if you turn the whip over, when you use it, you can get a bit of momentum and bit of speed and power behind it and that works.

“I think you are going to have to alter the sticks and make them a lot softer. I think there has to be more bend so they become easier to use in that backhand position.

“A lot of the flat jockeys use much easier to bend whips than jump jockeys do because the jump jockeys are that bit bigger.

“For some riders, Willie Carson for example, would never use it in the forehand position, it was always in the backhand. For quite a few over jumps that I’ve been speaking to, they’ve all been saying the same thing.

“It’s going to take a bit of getting used to but the great thing is they’ve got time to get used to it and it’ll become the norm.”

The group are also calling for the introduction of disqualifications for horses when a rider uses the whip four or more times above the permitted level, which is set to remain at seven strikes for Flat jockeys and eight for Jump jockeys.

That punishment is something that Fitzgerald feels will be enough of a deterrent to put any riders off breaking the rules.

“As for the disqualification, no one will want to be the first rider disqualified for using the whip too many times so I’m hoping that’ll be enough of a deterrent so that all the jockeys ride within the guidelines and that way, everybody’s a winner,” he added.