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Jockey in Grand National Festival Race Suspended for Whipping Horse Too Much
The British Horseracing Authority said Patrick M O'Brien went four over the whip limit, triggering Laafi's disqualification and a 28-day suspension.
- On Friday, the British Horseracing Authority disqualified Laafi from the Debenhams Handicap Hurdle at Aintree, stripping the 20-1 winner of victory after rider Patrick O'Brien received a 28-day suspension.
- The whip review committee determined O'Brien used his whip four times above the permitted level of seven after the second-last hurdle, with none of the uses deemed for safety purposes.
- Trainer Bill Durkan, 88, prepared the six-year-old Laafi for the 2m contest restricted to conditional jockeys and amateur riders, with the horse carrying top weight of 12st.
- Betting outcomes remain unchanged as all wagers were settled according to the official result on the day, though multiple jockeys at Aintree faced suspensions for whip rule breaches.
- Laafi is the fifth horse disqualified under whip regulations introduced in 2023, representing five disqualifications from a total exceeding 30,000 winning rides, underscoring strict new enforcement policies.
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12 Articles
12 Articles
Coverage Details
Total News Sources12
Leaning Left5Leaning Right4Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
50% Left
L 50%
R 40%
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