25 October 2023 , 11:53
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Australia’s Green party has called for use of the whip to be outlawed from the Melbourne Cup in the wake of the ban which has ruled Frankie Dettori out of the £4 million race.
Dettori’s hopes of riding in one of the few major international races he has yet to win were ended on Tuesday when he received two bans totalling 16 days for breaching BHA whip rules at Ascot on his final day in the saddle in Britain.
He had committed to riding on three days of the prestigious Spring Carnival at Flemington but will be unable to fulfil any of the engagements after exceeding the six stroke limit on Trawlerman and Kinross on Qipco British Champions Day.
The suspension starts on November 7, the day of the Melbourne Cup, and runs until November 24, though Dettori has said he still plans to travel down under for the occasion., as his flights were already booked.
In Melbourne on Saturday jockey Mark Zahra was fined £25,000 and suspended for seven day s after his winning ride in the £2.5m Caulfield Cup. He used his whip nine times before the 100 metre pole and 13 times during the race.
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In Australia racing authorities have faced calls for the Melbourne Cup to be banned after previous horse deaths and now the country's Green party has used Dettori’s case to call for action on the whip.
The Greens are the third largest political party in Australia by vote and fourth by elected representation.
Frankie Dettori: farewell day glory overshadowed by 16 day ban (PA)Deputy leader Senator Mehreen Faruqi said: “The next Melbourne Cup needs to be whip-free, this is the least that can be done to protect horses from the pain and cruelty of racing.
“If that jockey was whipping the horse in a race in Australia, he may have faced no penalties at all as the whipping rules here are even worse than in Britain! This speaks volumes to how little the horse racing industry cares about their animals.
“I welcome the ban of the jockey for breaching British whipping rules. But I ask the question — why do we still not have a ban on whipping? Jockeys have no limits on whipping in the final 100 metres of a race. That is horrific.
He added: “We will not stop until this cruel celebration is binned altogether. The race is losing its credibility fast. The Cup’s days are numbered.”