Johnston backs use of whip

Johnston is a leading trainer and a qualified vet, as well as being a British Horseracing Authority director. He is convinced the emphasis should be on welfare itself, and not on public perception. “I very strongly feel that the whip needs to be retained for the proper riding of horses,” the Middleham-based handler told At The Races.

“It is an essential tool for the job, particularly in racing to initiate the right response and make these horses run. I also very strongly feel that it is a welfare issue, but not a welfare problem. Welfare should be put a long way ahead of public perception.

“The BHA review group had to look at everybody’s views which they did in great detail. They came to a decision and did so in good faith. My view is perception has been put ahead of welfare a long time ago. I don’t think these latest changes to the rules have gone any further down that route.

“The problem was once we set down that route it is a case of driving a wedge forward because you are pandering to a minority of people who can’t see any purpose for the whip whatsoever.

“As long as you do that you are accepting they have some sort of case, that they maybe right, and, frankly, I think they are wrong.

“I have never been concerned about the use of whip on my horses. I can think of a couple on instances where I felt the whip was used wrongly and unnecessarily and those were dealt with internally. My main argument is that it’s time we drew a line in the sand and said we are the experts on horse welfare and we will stand by our decision on that. We are not going to change rules to suit what people perceive to be good animal welfare.”

Barry Geraghty felt compatriot Ruby Walsh was badly done to on Saturday when he was banned for five days for overstepping the whip rules on a winner, Edgardo Sol, at Aintree. Walsh is now considering restricting his visits to these shores for big meetings in future.

Geraghty said: “I thought Ruby gave his horse a brilliant ride. He stopped using the whip with about 100 yards to go and gave him one more smack and it was the difference between winning and losing. It was a brilliant ride and to get suspended for that is flying in the face of what we are trying to do.”

Another big name to cop a ban is Frankie Dettori, although the Italian’s was for careless riding. Dettori will miss the feature Saturday of the Breeders’ Cup after picking up a seven-day suspension at Newbury on Saturday. The Godolphin rider was found to have caused Right Step’s fall in the Totescoop6 HBLB Handicap after his mount, Willing Foe, clipped heels with the Alan Jarvis-trained runner.

Meanwhile, Be Fabulous gave trainer Andre Fabre his seventh Prix Royal-Oak win, and his first since 2000, with a smooth success at Longchamp yesterday.

Jockey Maxime Guyon, registering his first triumph in the French equivalent of the St Leger, brought the Godolphin-owned filly with a telling run in the straight. Cavalryman, carrying the blue colours of Godolphin, had made most of the running after taking over from Clive Cox’s Electrolyser but was a sitting duck as they straightened up for home.

Be Fabulous got first run on her rivals and pulled clear to score by a length and three-quarters from Miss Lago with Shankardeh third. Cavalryman was fifth and Electrolyser seventh.