The 2024 edition of the Cesarewitch served up a finish to live long in the memory as 33/1 shot Alphonse Le Grande got up in the shadow of the post to deny the well-fancied Manxman by a nose. However, further drama awaited.
Delight to Devastation for Apprentice Jockey Powell
Having come home in front to claim the biggest success of his career to date, apprentice rider Jamie Power was understandably delighted when hearing the result of the photo finish. However, that joy soon turned to trepidation.
The cause of such worry stemmed from Powell’s use of the whip when powering the gelding to victory up the stands side rail. British racing rules state that a rider may deploy the whip on a maximum of six occasions during a flat race. Should a rider exceed this limit, the ride will automatically be referred to the stewards.
The big worry here resulted from the new powers bestowed upon the stewards following a 2022 review. Previously, any punishments resulting from a breach would fall upon the shoulders of the rider. That was bad enough for Powell, but it got worse. Following the change in the rules, any rider utilising the whip four times or more above the limit would still receive his ban, in addition to his mount being disqualified and thus losing all prize money. Initial countback suggested that Powell had applied the whip 10 times – exactly four above the limit.
Fears Confirmed Following Official Review
Gallingly for punters, no decision was made on the day. Although backers of Alphonse Le Grande will have had few complaints, as the 33/1 shot was paid out as the winner across the board.
The outcome for Powell and connections of the horse wasn’t so positive. Following a review on Tuesday, 15th October (three days after the race) a panel confirmed that Powell had applied the whip on 10 occasions. Alphonse Le Grande was duly disqualified from the race, with Manxman promoted to first place and gaining the £90,195 winner’s share of the prize money.
Alphonse Le Grande disqualified from Club Godolphin Cesarewitch Handicap
Whip Review Committee confirms that the jockey used the whip four times above the permitted number of six in a Flat race, with all uses having made contact with the horse and no…
— British Horseracing Authority (@BHAHorseracing) October 15, 2024
Connections were given seven days to appeal this position, but with few mitigating factors immediately apparent, i.e. essential safety-related whip applications, their hopes of success appeared slim. Nevertheless, given the sums involved, they had little to lose by launching an appeal. So, appeal they did.
Change of Hands Sees Decision Reversed
Rather than attempting to justify his overzealous use of the whip, Powell and his team argued that he hadn’t actually whipped Alphonse Le Grande on 10 occasions at all. Whilst having no complaint at the count of nine, Powell stated that the 10th use was merely a result of moving the whip from one hand to the other and was in no way intentional. To the surprise of many observers, this explanation satisfied the review panel.
Announcing the decision to reinstate Alphonse Le Grande as the 2024 Cesarewitch winner, panel chair Sarah Crowther stated:
“Adopting a pragmatic interpretation of the word ‘use’, we find it is not every single contact between a whip and a horse that will amount to use. This was effectively an unavoidable contact, which could not have had any material impact on the performance of the horse … Therefore, there were nine uses, three above the permitted level. The horse will be reinstated and the suspension [for Powell] will be 20 days.”
All of which is good news for Powell, who sees his ban reduced from 28 to 20 days and receives his share of the prize money. It was quite the rollercoaster for Simon and Ed Crisford and the rest of the team behind Manxman, who watched on as their earnings climbed from £42,297.50 to £90,0195 … and then back down again.