Whip rules overshadow big day in British racing
October 14, 2011LONDON (AP) - British horse racing's richest day is being overshadowed by a dispute about new whip rules that led to a jockey quitting.
The focus of Saturday's inaugural British Champions Day at Ascot and its $5 million in purses was meant to be on unbeaten Frankel. The world's top-ranked thoroughbred has won eight straight races.
But Frankel jockey Tom Queally on Friday was expressing sympathy for Richard Hughes. Hughes handed in his racing license after drawing two bans in the first week after the new whip rules took effect.
On the website for the TV channel Racing UK, Queally says it was ``bad timing'' to introduce the changes just ahead of Champions Day and ``appalling'' for the Qatari sponsor.