15 March 2023 , 16:52
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Paul Nicholls praised Harry Cobden for “a brilliant ride” aboard Quel Destin at Sandown Park on Saturday – despite his efforts earning the jockey a four-day whip ban.
Cobden became the highest-profile rider to be suspended under the British Horseracing Authority’s controversial new whip rules for using his whip above shoulder height on the Nicholls-trained eight-year-old.
Cobden, whose punishment was published by the BHA on Tuesday night, is considering an appeal – and will have the backing of his boss if he does contest the ban.
“I was watching the race on Saturday and he gave that a brilliant ride from the front and got beat a neck – what do you do?” said an exasperated 13-time champion trainer.
“To me, it’s disappointing for racing because you’ve got someone riding as good as that in a fantastic finish, and you can’t give me one person who would be offended by that.
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“All the punters on the course that backed it would have been roaring him home.”
Nicholls, who earlier this month accused racing’s regulator of “shooting the industry of the foot” over its implementation of the new rules, added: “People should be looking at that and marvelling at the way he’s riding.
“He wasn’t excessive, the horse wasn’t marked, the horse is fine – all those pluses – yet you get one of the top jockeys in the country not being able to ride.”