A total of 20 riding suspensions were incurred during the first week under the British Horseracing Authority's revised whip regulations, with one serious breach resulting in disqualification.
New rules came into force on 13 February following a bedding-in period when the new penalty structure was not in force but jockeys were advised of the punishment they would have received for offences.
Whip bans are no longer handed out on the day of the offence, with all breaches referred to the Whip Review Committee, which met on Tuesday to assess the cases.
Charlotte Jones was found to have used her whip 11 times when beaten a head into second on Jimmy Moffatt’s Lunar Discovery at Ayr last Tuesday.
As she breached the seven-stroke limit by four, with the Committee stating "none of the hits were clearly and unequivocally for safety purposes", her mount was disqualified and Jones will be banned for 14 days (7-20 March inclusive).
Lorcan Williams is one of the higher profile names to fall foul of the regulations and he will miss the Cheltenham Festival having been given an 18-day ban for his winning ride on Makin’yourmindup at Haydock on Saturday.
Williams, who is attached to champion trainer Paul Nicholls’ stable, had feared he would be severely punished after driving home Makin’yourmindup in a narrow finish to the Prestige Novices’ Hurdle.
He was adjudged to have used his whip twice over the allowed amount, and with his arm above shoulder height, but as the race was a Grade Two a harsher penalty was admonished, as befits the new structure.
His suspension begins on 7 March and runs to 24 March. Williams was also fined £1,050.
The rider of the second in that race, Kevin Brogan, also used his whip above the permitted level, with his extra strike costing him an eight-day ban, as his suspensions in class one and two races are doubled.
Aidan Coleman, Gavin Sheehan and Derek Fox also featured on the suspension list, with each being banned for four days, while Luke Scott got 14 days for his ride aboard Progressive at Wetherby.
Harry Kimber picked up two separate bans, meaning 19 individual riders broke the rules, with three offences occurring in the same conditional jockeys’ hurdle at Newcastle on 16 February.
Breaches were not limited to overuse, with some riders – including Coleman – judged to have not given their mounts time to respond while others were found to have used the whip with the arm above shoulder height.
The new rules were introduced following a consultation process, with a late revision made in January when the original intended directive ruling out using the whip in the forehand was reversed in favour of a reduced amount of strikes and tougher penalty structure.
Williams told Sky Sports he was "absolutely devastated to be missing the four biggest days of the year.
"Obviously I’m not going to be the only one, but I’m absolutely heartbroken. I’ll just have to take it on the chin and keep moving forward.
"I found the shoulder height (rule) very difficult. It’s a very hard situation for me. I’ve been trained my whole life, I’m lucky enough to live in an area with a jockey coach, so we’ve been trained all our lives for that.
"I’m one of the biggest jockeys in the weighing room at 6ft, I’m a big bloke, and the technique I use is for the welfare of the horse that I’m riding. I get very low in the saddle, I tuck myself away to make myself sellable to owners and trainers. I’ve got very long arms and the technique I use of bringing it over my head is to make sure I’m making the right connection with the horse in the correct spot.
"I tried all things, even when the rule of the backhand was informed (since rescinded) I was keeping it in the backhand for muscle memory, but I’m not the only jockey that has been pulled in."
Williams admitted he was not keeping count of his strikes in the tight finish, but claims to do so in the heat of a race is challenging.
He said: "It’s very difficult, with all the emotion that comes across in a close finish when you are trying to finish in the best possible position. I’m a jockey who rides very much off instinct.
"On Saturday I only used my stick from the back of the last, I used it twice in the backhand because myself and Kevin Brogan got close and had a little collision, so I used my stick with instinct. I used two in the backhand to correct my horse, then switched over to the left and used on instinct to ensure the best position.
"I’m very aware of the rules but it’s very hard with all the emotion that comes in, it’s very difficult (to count). I rode off instinct and I wasn’t aware of how often I’d used it – like I said, two of my hits were to correct my horse.
"If it had been two weeks before I’d have been only getting four days, but now it’s ruling me out of the four biggest days of the year.
"It’s a lot for a jockey to take on board, we have a lot to think about and having that held above us, it is very difficult to get in the right position and control the horse."
