Frankie Dettori to miss Melbourne Cup after being given 16-day whip ban

BBC
 

He used his whip once above the permitted level of six in both winning aboard Trawlerman and finishing second with Kinross on British Champions Day.

The 52-year-old said the Ascot meeting would be his farewell to Britain before a stint in the United States.

His suspension begins on 7 November, the date of the Melbourne Cup.

The Australian race is one of the few major contests Dettori has not won.

Dettori, who has ridden in Britain for 37 years in a career that has brought more than 3,300 winners, postponed his retirement to base himself in California from the beginning of next year.

The Italian jockey bowed out of British racing on Saturday with a double - winning the Long Distance Cup on Trawlerman and the Champion Stakes with King Of Steel.

Two other winning rides saw suspensions for the successful rider, with Sam James using his whip once over the allowed limit in winning aboard Poptronic in the Fillies & Mares Stakes.

As this represents a fifth suspension within the previous six months for a breach of the whip rules, James was referred by the whip review committee to a judicial panel.

David Allan has been given an eight-day suspension after also using his whip once above the threshold in his victorious ride as Art Power beat Kinross to win the Champions Sprint.

A British Horseracing Authority (BHA) spokesperson said: "Ensuring fairness is a key element of the rules and the penalties which are in place - in these cases those governing the most prestigious and valuable races - are intended to act as a deterrent against overuse of the whip.

"This is, in part, to ensure that all participants, and those betting on the race, have a fair chance.

"Over the course of the year, we have seen jockeys adapt superbly to the new rules and the overall offence rate has markedly decreased.

"The overall objectives of the rules governing the whip, which came about following a lengthy consultation process and have been refined through regular dialogue with jockeys, are to ensure its more judicious use for encouragement, improving the perception of its use and ensuring that outcomes of races are fair."