The 2024 Cesarewitch Handicap winner Alphonse Le Grande has been disqualified after the horse racing ‘Whip Review Committee’ found jockey Jamie Powell had used his whip 10 times in the race – four times over the permitted limit in a UK flat race.
Manxman The NEW Cesarewitch Handicap Winner, With Alphonse Le Grande Disqualified
Saturday’s 2024 Cesarewitch Handicap has dominated the horse racing headlines since the 24 runners crossed the winning line at Newmarket – which has all been down to the jockey on the winning horse Alphonse Le Grande using his whip 10 TIMES in the race – four over the permitted allowance.
As a result, the offence was referred to the BHA’s ‘Whip Review Committee’ and on Tuesday 15th October they concluded that the first past then post Alphonse Le Grande will be disqualified and jockey Jamie Powell was also handed 28-day ban for the ride.
The runner-up Manxman was handed the race and is the new 2024 Cesarewitch Handicap winner.
BREAKING: Cesarewitch winner Alphonse Le Grande has been disqualified and jockey Jamie Powell handed a 28-day ban for a breach of the whip rules
Runner-up Manxman has been awarded the victory https://t.co/xoUgJJXqIW pic.twitter.com/ZlKsac603X
— Racing Post (@RacingPost) October 15, 2024
The whip rules for a UK flat race state that a jockey can use their stick a maximum of SIX times in each race – if they go over they will be hit with bans and fines, but if they exceed this by four it will result in an automatic disqualification from the race.
This is something the eagle-eyed racing fans – and maybe the punters on the second Manxman – picked up on in the 2024 Cesarewitch Handicap as Irish apprentice Jamie Powell seemed to strike Alphonse Le Grande ten times in the race (watch below).
Most of these hits came in the final stages as Powell was trying to eke out all he could from his mount – but in the process seemed to lose count of the number of hits.
This led to the race being referred to the horse racing ‘Whips Review Committee‘, who on Tuesday 15th October found Jamie Powell guilty of the 10 hits rule and in the process disqualified the Cesarewitch winner Alphonse Le Grande – promoting the second MANXMAN as the winner.
Manxman Wins Over £47k More For Being Promoted From Second To First
Manxman, who was well-backed into 7/1 on the day and was second by just a nose, was awarded the race for trainer Simon and Ed Crisford.
This also meant Manxman’s owners – Rabbah Racing – scooped the Cesarewitch top prize of £90,195 – which is £47,8975.50 more than the horse would have won for second.
What Are The UK Flat Racing Whip Rules?
In the UK the BHA state that a jockey is allowed to use their whip SIX times in a flat race and SEVEN times in a jumps race.
If they go over this number, then bans and fines follow. However, if they exceed the amount by 4 hits this will result in the horse and jockey being disqualified from the race.
Manxman Backers Fuming As Bookies Have Already Settled On The Race
Despite Manxman being the NEW Cesarewitch Handicap winner, this amended result has still left a bitter taste with the horse racing punters that bet on the horse.
This is because Saturday’s result in terms of the wagering with the best betting sites in the UK has been settled already – with the bookies paying out on Alphonse Le Grande as the winner.
Yes, great news if you backed this Irish-trained runner, but not top news if you sided with the better-backed Manxman.
Original 2024 Cesarewitch Handicap Result (Before Alphonse Le Grande Was Disqualified)
Why Did The Cesarewith Amended Result Take Three Days?
It’s a good question and one that a lot of horse racing fans – especially those that had a bet in the race and also the winning owners of Manxman will be asking.
However, the rules state that any jockey found to have hit a horse 4 times over the limit – in the case of a flat race 10 times – then will be referred to the ‘Whip Committee’ in the days after the race.
But, this is, of course, not ideal and for betting purposes the race needs to be settled before the end of that fixture.
This has led people to question why this decision can’t be made in the moments after the race – a bit like the normal stewards’ enquiries that are held when there is interference.
Yes, like in football with VAR, some decisions might still be controversial, but at least there has been one and the matter is put to bed.
Meaning the bookmakers can settle the race with the correct winner and, more importantly, the winning owners can celebrate on the day.
Not The First Time Alphonse Le Grande Has Hit The Headlines (For The Wrong Reasons)
Just to add to the story, the trainer of Alphonse Le Grande – Tony Martin – is currently serving a ban after a horse he had tested positive for lidocaine.
This ban had run from 15th May to 14th August. However, another two months were added when Martin was seen in the winners’ enclosure at Newcastle when Alphonse Le Grand won the Northumberland Plate consolation race (29th June) – with the horse running under the licence of Martin’s sister Mrs C O’Leary.
We hope you are keeping up ………as there’s even more.
Horse racing fans might also remember Alphonse Le Grande being at the centre of another incident back at Thurles in February 2023.
The horse finished 6th that day over hurdles but was judged to have been ‘tenderly handled’ in the run-in. This resulted in a 42-day ban with Rule 212C breached – failing to obtain the best position.
Therefore, and due to no fault of the actual horse – this recent Cesarewitch Handicap disqualification is the third high-profile incident that Alphonse Le Grande has been involved in.