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Angus McNae

Captain’s Blog - Why the obsession with 8 and 9?

Yesterday the BHA announced amendments to the whip rules and in doing so have taken a step in the right direction. Now the stewards will look at rides where eight and nine hits are exceeded and will apply their own discretion as regards punishing jockeys for going over the threshold. I welcome these changes and applaude the BHA for finding the Humble Pie shop and for buying as much pie as they could, however I do not think they have gone far enough. Why is there such an obsession with the numbers eight and nine, who came up with these random numbers in the first place and why do we need them at all? The plain truth is that they are a nonsense. Now if a flat jockey hits a horse more than eight times this will be the trigger for the Stewards to have a look at the ride. Why do they need a trigger surely it is blindingly obvious when a jockey misuses the whip, especially to Stewards who are specially trained in this kind of thing. The reason the numbers are still in use is simple, it is because the BHA did not want to be seen to be backing down completely. They wanted to try and retain a morsel of credibility through this whole sorry affair. Thank Goodness something has been done before we would have had to endure a raft of bans at Cheltenham, but with nine hits in jump racing being the trigger for the beaks to have a look they are still going to be very busy.

I am somewhat behind schedule today and need to get to the office shortly as I will be in the booth for all of the action from Ludlow today. That is not the only meeting on Racing UK today as we also have evening action from Kempton park. Nick Luck and Steve Mellish will be your hosts for the evening and if you have any thoughts or questions for them please send them in to studio@racinguk.com.

I need to get a move on folks. I hope you followed the blog selection that went in yesterday, three out of the last four have gone in which brings its own pressure today. Anyway I am out of here.

All the best.

Today's Selection

5.30 Kempton - Novabridge (each way 11/1 Stan James)

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