'I was sure I hadn't broken the rules and I was hoping that justice would prevail' - rider overturns whip ban

Christy Furness has spoken of his delight at setting a precedent after becoming the first jockey to overturn a ban issued under the new whip rules.

The amateur rider believes his successful appeal against a punishment handed down by the whip review committee sends the message that it is possible to fight their judgements and win.

Furness, who has ridden in point-to-points and hunter chases for a decade, works for an investment bank in London from Monday to Friday but returns home to North Yorkshire during the racing season.

He said: "I'm an amateur and I'm doing this as a hobby, but I feel for the professionals who are having the new rules impacting their ability to earn a living. So it's great that I've shown you can appeal and win. I believe I'm the first one to do it."

Furness, 32, had originally been banned for eight days by the review committee, who found he used the whip above the permitted level of seven strikes and without giving his mount time to respond when finishing fourth on Camdonian in a hunter chase at Cheltenham this month.

'Daunting process'

"I thought it was quite unjustified," he said. "Most people thought there wasn't much point in appealing, but I really did think my riding had been misinterpreted and that it was a harsh ban.

"It was the difference between showing the horse the whip and actually using it. I felt there wasn't any clear evidence on the video to show conclusively that I'd hit the horse when I was just showing it.

"They put forward in the hearing that there were nine hits and I thought two of them were not hits."

Unusually for a hearing in front of the BHA's disciplinary panel, Furness spoke for himself rather than having legal representation.

"It was quite a daunting process but I didn't want the financial cost of someone acting for me," he said.

"Rory Mac Neice gave me some friendly advice on what to expect, but I thought I might as well do it myself as I was the one who was riding, so I should be the one trying to explain it."

Recounting the hearing, he said: "It took a couple of hours. I didn't have much confidence, although I was sure I hadn’t broken the rules and I was hoping justice would prevail. I was over the moon when the verdict was announced."

New whip rules were brought in this year, initially over jumps and then on the Flat, after a consultation period and then a troubled and fraught bedding-in process.

Penalties are now no longer issued on the day of racing but offences are instead referred to the review committee, which passes judgements twice a week.

Two days before Furness' ride on Camdonian, Flat jockey Neil Callan failed in an appeal against the length of a whip ban imposed at Windsor.

The whip review committee recently announced changes to the penalty structure for certain offences, including where contact is an inadvertent "double tap", rather than deliberate use of the stick.

Furness said: "Those wouldn't have made any difference to my case, but I welcome the fact they are prepared to make changes."

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