FOUR-DAY BAN FOR PUNCHING A HORSE
RSPCA fury at lenient punishment
THE RSPCA have called for a review of horseracing’s disciplinary procedures after jockey Davy Russell was given only a four-day ban for punching a horse.
Gold Cup winning jockey Russell was finally handed a suspension yesterday by the Irish Turf Club for the blow he landed on the neck of his mount Kings Dolly at Tramore on August 18.
The case had been re-opened at the request of the Registrar of the Irish National Hunt Steeplechase on the grounds that the caution Russell had received was ‘unduly lenient’.
But in allowing the case to drag on for 19 days and giving the impression of being buffeted by public opinion rather than providing strong leadership, the Irish Turf Club’s reaction was arguably as damaging as the blow Russell landed on an unruly mount.
David Muir, the RSPCA’s equine consultant, said lessons must be learned by both the Turf Club and the British Horseracing Authority.
Muir said: ‘There needs to be a clear line about what is acceptable in racing and what isn’t. This is not about hounding Davy. It is a racing issue rather than a jockey issue. It should have been dealt with appropriately in the first place and it wasn’t.
‘They have done the right thing to review the case. Am I happy under the circumstances that he has got four days? Yes. Would I be happy if it were the penalty in the future? No.
‘There has to be a clear line on what is acceptable and unacceptable. If jockeys go beyond that line, they should be aware they will get a severe punishment. It is not down to me to decide what that is. That is down to the regulators, the Turf Club and BHA. ‘If you insult the stewards you get 12 days, if you punch a horse you get four. That is not an easy thing for people to swallow. If someone loses their temper, they must not take it out on the horse.’ Russell told a hearing there was ‘no anger involved’ in his actions and that ‘it was a matter of trying to get her back under control and trying to get her to pay attention’. The jockey claimed the situation had been escalated by some sections of the media and on social media. Russell (left) said: ‘What the press have done is unacceptable. Not just to me, but to my family as well. They were mentioned in articles along the way. It is not just me any more. I have a wife and children.’