Laafi’s victory at Aintree has been overturned after jockey Patrick O’Brien was found to have violated whip regulations. The incident occurred in the 2m½f conditional and amateurs’ handicap hurdle on the second day of the Grand National festival. O’Brien, an Irish 5lb claimer, exceeded the permitted whip level on the William Durkan-trained runner.
Whip Rule Breach Leads to Disqualification
O’Brien used his whip four times above the allowed limit of seven strikes after the second-last hurdle. According to BHA rules, any jockey exceeding the whip limit by four or more strikes faces disqualification. Laafi’s disqualification marks the first instance in ten months of a winning horse being disqualified for whip-related offences. My Dream World was the last runner to suffer the same fate at York last June.
The Aintree contest, with a winner’s prize of £25,720, will now be awarded to Melon, ridden by Toby McCain-Mitchell, for Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero. The ruling casts a shadow over what has been a successful season for O’Brien. He recently celebrated his first Cheltenham Festival victory in the Martin Pipe on Air Of Entitlement. He is also enjoying a career-best season with 21 wins in Ireland.
Jockey Sanctions and Other Whip Rule Breaches
Alongside the disqualification, O’Brien has been handed a 28-day ban. The ban is scheduled to run throughout May, concluding on June 4. McCain-Mitchell, rider of Melon, was also found to have breached whip rules, using his stick twice above the permitted level after the second-last flight.
As McCain-Mitchell has already received whip bans three times within the last six months, he has been referred to the Judicial Panel. A total of five jockeys were handed whip bans at the Grand National meeting. Jonjo O’Neill Jr and Darragh O’Keeffe each received two suspensions across the three days.
- O’Neill was suspended for eight days for his ride on National runner-up Iroko.
- The ban followed on from another six-day suspension for Friday’s premier handicap hurdle win on Wellington Arch.
- Darragh O’Keeffe has also been sidelined from May 2-May 9 due to two rule breaches.
Harry Skelton also received a three-day suspension for using the stick down the shoulder in the forehand position with his hand off the reins when winning on Mr Hope Street in the Freebooter Handicap Chase on Saturday.
Darragh O’Keeffe was judged to have used his whip in the incorrect place on winner Koktail Divin in the Manifesto Novices’ Chase and again on Hiddenvalley Lake in the Liverpool Hurdle.
O’Neill was found to use his whip once above the permitted level down the home straight. He will be out of action from May 2-May 16.
Evan Williams sentenced to three years in prison for causing grievous bo