The whip war is calming down - and it looks like the BHA has won

This is going to come as a shock, especially if you've been among the hordes rampaging through social media, carrying torches and pitchforks and calling for Julie Harrington's job. But the BHA is surely on its way to claiming that these whip rule changes are a success and for once I won't say it's wrong. Not completely wrong, anyway.

It won't happen this side of Cheltenham, that's for sure. Any official would have to be stark, staring mad to indulge in gloating before the big week, which might easily provide the wrong kind of story. But things are moving in the right direction, judging by two weeks of the whip review committee (WRC). For a start, 20 breaches in the first week followed by a dozen the next counts as progress.

The identity of those suspended gives hope that experienced professionals are able to live within these rules, hard as that may be. Only eight such jockeys have been suspended so far, although one of them has managed it twice.