Authorities satisfied with Gagan punishment

The British Horseracing Authority will not look into the controversial case of Steven Gagan being banned for seven days at Ascot yesterday.

The 7lb claimer was handed the suspension from February 6 to 12 after the stewards at the Berkshire track found he struck Sacrilege 11 times, some of which broke the rules by being “in annoyance”.

Gagan hit the horse when he mulish at the start of the Best Odds Guaranteed At Victor Chandler Holloway’s Hurdle and refused to race.

However, that punishment was thought in some quarters to be too lenient and in others it has been seen as harsh.

“Not all of those strikes were in annoyance, but their (the stewards) view was that definitely some of them were,” said Paul Struthers, PR manager for the BHA.

“The entry point for at least one strike with the whip in annoyance is four days and they felt it warranted seven.

“There is no chance because some people think it’s wrong that we will re-open the inquiry. It was dealt with on the racecourse.

“I believe the owner and trainer think it’s harsh and if people like John McCririck think it’s too lenient it just highlights how difficult this is, but there is no place for it in racing.”