Racing:Britain's champion jockey Paul Hanagan feels there is a "cloud" hanging over the weighing room as the argument over the new whip regulations rumbles on. Hanagan feels sympathy for colleague Richard Hughes, who relinquished his licence last night after picking up a second ban in a matter of days.
Hanagan, who pipped Hughes in a monumental tussle for the championship last season, admits he is finding it difficult to adapt.
“Make no mistake, there will hardly be a jockey with a licence who won’t have sympathy with Richard Hughes and I, for one, understand his frustration,” said Hanagan. “I can assure you that in all the time I’ve been riding the atmosphere in the weighing room has never been so bad, there’s a cloud hanging over it.
“My view on the penalties is that they just don’t fit the crime and are totally out of proportion. The ironic thing is that it’s the easiest rule to implement and police by just watching a TV screen and counting the number of strokes.
“But in the heat of a race, especially a big one, there are plenty of other things to think about as well as the number of times you’ve used the whip. I’ve been practising since before it came out and I do find it difficult.”
Trainer Richard Hannon gave his full support to Hughes, who was suspended on Monday, the first day the rules came into effect, and fell foul of the regulations again when riding More Than Words at Kempton yesterday.
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) last month announced stricter penalties for jockeys who overuse the whip, including the loss of riding fees and prize money, and there were unconfirmed reports today that jockeys would strike on Monday in protest.
Monday's racing is at Windsor, Pontefract and Plumpton, although spokespersons for the meetings said they had not been informed of jockeys refusing to ride. There was no official confirmation from the authorities on whether the meetings would take place.
Hannon, one of the country's leading trainers, was furious that Hughes and other jockeys had been put in a difficult position. He said: "It is absolutely ridiculous, and we will be the laughing stock of America when we get to the Breeders Cup and tell them that we could not bring our jockey because, though he weighs little more than eight stone, he was suspended for striking half a ton of horseflesh six times with a padded foam whip.
"Richard Hughes does not abuse horses and he never has done. If (owner) Sheikh Fahad thought that he did he would not have horses with us, and nor would Andrew Tinkler or Julie Wood.
"Both Andrew and Julie have ploughed a huge amount of money into racing - Julie has 26 horses with us and she was actually delighted with the ride that Hughesie gave More Than Words at Kempton and could not believe how they could possibly do him for the whip.
"The whole thing is a complete shambles and a total embarrassment. We are 100 percent behind Hughesie, but this is not all about him. The entire situation needs re-thinking - people who do not understand race-riding are destroying the sport."
Under the new rules, jockeys are restricted to using the whip seven times in a flat race and eight in a jump race, and only five times in the last furlong or after the final obstacle.
"If the rules stay the way they are, I feel I can't ride in the way we are asked to do,” Hughes explained today. "I am all in favour of the amount of times we are allowed to hit a horse, which is half the amount we were previously allowed, but I find it very difficult to see where the furlong pole is.
"For that reason I have broken the rules twice. Our horses are travelling 20 metres in a second and for that reason you don't know if you've gone past the furlong post or not . . . so I've handed my licence back. If there are enough jockeys getting banned they will realise the rule has to be tweaked, and I am sure we can all come together and see some sense in this."