Giving French the whip hand is a recipe for disaster

EVER hear of a guy called Louis Romanet? Well, he used to be heavily involved in French racing, but these days is better known as the chairman of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities — if that’s not a contradiction.

Romanet was back in the news this week when he said that, within the next five years, major racing nations would outlaw the use of the whip, other than for corrective purposes.

Romanet’s theory is that because of what he describes as “the influence of better quality television on public perception” the use of the whip will be totally restricted.