Win at all costs: how Lorcan Williams' defence made a heavy punishment inevitable

I feel sorry for Lorcan Williams. He is a young rider missing a crucial week at an important stage of his career and that is a bitter pill for him to swallow. That said, I do think he is in the wrong with the circumstances that led to this week's controversial 18-day ban.

Williams received his punishment for going two strikes over the new limit (one over the old), with one from above shoulder height, to win by a short head aboard Makin'yourmindup in a Grade 2 novice hurdle at Haydock last Saturday.

The punishment is severe for a reason. The BHA has opted for severely disciplining jockeys to deter riders from breaking its new rules. The thing it wants to discourage above all else is the image of a win-at-all-costs attitude within the sport. Unfortunately for Williams, that is almost the exact offence he has committed.