Frankie Dettori and Oisin Murphy will miss the July Cup at Newmarket next month after each receiving eight-day whip bans during Royal Ascot.
The ban will be a particularly emotional blow for Dettori as the 52-year-old Italian needed to win the Newmarket contest in his final season in the saddle to complete a clean-sweep of British Group One victories.
He was hoping to have a final crack at it aboard Ralph Beckett’s dual Group One winner Kinross, but was found by the British Horseracing Authority’s whip review committee to have used his whip seven times in the Queen Anne Stakes on John and Thady Gosden’s filly Inspiral when second to Triple Time.
That is one over the allotted number of six on the Flat, which triggers a four-day ban – and as the race is a Group One that penalty is doubled.
With Dettori already due to be serving a nine-day ban, set to run from July 4-12 inclusive for causing interference on Saga in the Wolferton Stakes – which he is appealing – his whip ban would begin after that suspension has been served, ruling him out of the July Cup on July 15. His dates of suspension for his whip ban are July 13-15 and 17-21.
The July Cup is the only British Group One missing from Dettori’s collection
Murphy received his ban for also going one above the permitted level during his ride on King George V Stakes runner-up Valiant King and will be out of action between July 11-15 and 17-19.
James McDonald was handed a 14-day suspension after being judged to have used his whip twice over the limit while riding Artorius in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.
Danny Muscutt also received an eight-day ban for breaking the whip count when fifth on Canberra Legend in the Hampton Court Stakes and will miss the July Cup meeting as well.
