Jockeys at last Saturday's Shergar Cup have been handed a total of 32 days of whip bans by the British Horseracing Authority's Whip Review Committee. The bans follow a meeting at Ascot where the standard of riding was criticised by Maureen Haggas, wife and assistant of trainer William Haggas, who described it as “noticeably lower than usual”.
Leading offender was Australian Hugh Bowman, who received a 12-day suspension for striking La Pulga seven times in the Shergar Cup Challenge, failing to give the horse time to respond, and applying the whip in the wrong place. Bowman, who rode the legendary Winx to 25 Group 1 victories, will be sidelined from August 26 to September 6.
Karis Teetan and Dario Di Tocco were each handed eight-day bans for similar offences. Teetan hit Venture Capital seven times in the Shergar Cup Dash, while Di Tocco struck Team Player seven times in the Shergar Cup Classic. Both will serve their suspensions from August 26 to September 2.
Suraj Nerredu, captain of the winning Team Asia, received a four-day ban for not giving Claymore time to respond in the Shergar Cup Challenge. The Indian rider, who performed a flying dismount after winning the Shergar Cup Stayers, will be out from August 26 to 29.
The bans have reignited debate about the standard of jockeyship at the international event, which this year featured five riders competing in Britain for the first time. The Shergar Cup was restructured in 2023 to feature geographically based teams, replacing the previous Ladies' team.
