RACING:RUBY WALSH reaffirmed his opposition to the new whip rules after making a winning return to British race-riding at Wetherby yesterday. The leading Irish jockey was furious after picking up a five-day suspension at Aintree last Saturday, promising to make his trips to Britain less frequent for ordinary races.
He missed the meeting at Chepstow on Tuesday, but headed to West Yorkshire for the ride on Fistral Beach in the Listed bet365 Handicap Chase, where he was rewarded with a comfortable victory.
The well-supported 5 to 2 favourite travelled strongly throughout the two-and-a-half-mile feature, and was left in a clear lead when market rival Persian Gates crashed out two fences from home.
Walsh only had to push his Paul Nicholls-trained mount, owned by Graham Roach, out to the line to score by eight lengths from Araldur.
Walsh, whose rides at the track tomorrow include Poquelin in the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase, said: “The owner (Roach) has a yard full of horses and Paul thought it was worth me coming over. It was a good prize, I thought it was worth coming over for and Paul did too.
“These are good races. I never said I wouldn’t be coming for these sort of races. Likewise tomorrow, I’ve got some good rides, Poquelin and What A Friend, and then there is the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter on Tuesday.
“It is the ordinary races I will have to weigh up and see what the story is. It’s like a soccer player being on a yellow card and not wanting to miss the European Cup final.”
Walsh has appealed against the ban he picked up at Aintree, with the hearing set to take place at British Horseracing Authority headquarters in London on Thursday.
He said: “After Thursday, maybe things might change, I would not appeal if I didn’t think I had a case.” He went on: “The BHA say they are reviewing the rules ongoing, but ongoing is ongoing, I think they should speed it up because the jumping season is getting going and there are good races coming up.
“The PJA (Professional Jockeys Association) and the Horsemen’s Group are trying, but there is only so much they can do.
“Britain were world leaders with the whip instructions and others were trying to follow. It was a model other people were looking at, but now they have got something nobody wants.
“We all make mistakes, I do every day, everybody does. But if you’re not prepared to make mistakes, you’ll never make a decision.”
Of Fistral Beach, Walsh said: “The horse jumped well and travelled well. Maybe we were a little bit lucky because the horse that fell at the second-last was going well, but you’ve got to jump them.
“He’s the sort of horse that if you had to go for the whip, you know you’re beat.”
Nicholls has urged racing’s rulers to resolve the whip row. “I think the general public have more pressing matters on their minds than the whip issue – like how they are going to pay their heating and fuel bills this winter,” he said.
“For the past 10 years, including from last weekend, I will tell you how many complaints I have received over the whip on the telephone, via email or in letters: none, although I have had plenty in support of Ruby this week, including the owners of Edgardo Sol.”
