20-day suspension for Grand National runner-up
Jockey David Bass has been given a 20-day suspension for misuse of the whip on his second-placed ride in the Crabbie’s Grand National.
Aintree stewards reported the matter to the British Horseracing Authority as this was Bass’ fifth offence of misuse of the whip in the last six months, each of which warranted a suspension of between two to six days.
Mr Bass rode The Last Samurai (pictured centre, above) to second place in the race on 9 April, finishing six lengths behind David Mullins on Rule The World.
The British Horseracing Authority’s (BHA) disciplinary panel held an enquiry on Thursday (21 April).
Mr Bass was represented by Rory Mac Neice, while the BHA’s case was presented by Lyn Williams.
The panel also watched video footage of the race.
It accepted Mr Bass’ admission that he was guilty of misuse of the whip by using it above the permitted level, warranting a suspension of four days.
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The panel took into consideration Mr Bass’ five other whip breaches (four two-days and one four-day suspensions) since 8 November last year.
It also considered the number of rides he has had (182) and the timeframe over which the offences took place when considering their decision.
Mr Bass was suspended for a total of 20 days, six of which will be deferred for two months until after 13 July.
His suspension will run from 29 April until 13 May (inclusive) on days when Jump racing is scheduled to take place.
A BHA spokesman added it is standard that a third of the suspension in whip offences is always deferred.
He explained that the whip rules are there to try and bring about change in riding styles, so the deferred penalty acts as a deterrent and is hoped to bring about change in behaviour.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.