Former champion jockey fell foul of the rules at the St Leger meeting.
Silvestre de Sousa has been given a 24-day suspension for breaching whip rules as he rode Mick Appleby's promising juvenile Big Mojo to a second-place finish, narrowly beaten by a neck in the Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster. The disqualification underlines a growing focus on the control of riders and respect for current standards for animals' welfare in the sport.
The Group Two event was held at Town Moor, one of the biggest stages of the sport. While De Sousa's competitiveness cannot be doubted, pressure to cross limits turned against him this time. The infraction was first flagged by the stewards, though it is the Whip Review Committee that later pegged this heavy 24-day suspension pending eight days deferred for six months or 200 rides, whichever comes first. Such a ruling indicates the strict approach the stadium is taking to ensure that the jockeys adhere strictly to the guidelines, even at moments of high stakes.
It was far from an isolated incident, though. In reality, this was simply the latest in a worrying trend that has been occurring during the past few months. The Doncaster ride came on the fifth of his whip-handling offenses in the last six months. De Sousa had twice failed to give horses time enough to react, once placed his whip in an untoward position, and thrice used it too vigorously. This history may have featured in the breadth of this suspension because the officials have to balance fairness and maintaining standards.
The rider might have been yielding to the increased scrutiny over the use of whips in British racing by pleading guilty at Doncaster. There's no doubt that De Sousa's competitive streak has played a role in winning, but such an incident shows the thin line between striving for victory and breaking the rules. His acts, even if motivated by the sense of winning, cost him a significant enough ban that may still cost him his career one day.
Mick Appleby's Big Mojo, on whom the overabundance was dished out, remains a promising juvenile. Although beaten in the Flying Childers Stakes, he has been one of the outstanding horses. The circumstances of the race have overshadowed what the team managed to do and unleashed a debate about the excesses that jockeys can go to to win. This suspension ensures that De Sousa will miss racing for eight days, but his passion for the sport and its causes is as solid as ever.
This suspension period of eight days will, in a way, act as some kind of reprieve, but on the other side, it is only a stark reminder of the consequences of such repeated offenses. It isn't just a personal failing; it is a commentary on the need for rational regulation in racing. With this in mind, the blurring lines of integrity, as it continues to evolve within the world of equestrian sport, represent a delicate balancing act concerning maintaining the welfare of horse athletes. In so doing, the De Sousa case is emblematic of this challenge.
