THERE was a bittersweet success for Irish jockey Ross Coakley at Baden Baden last Sunday when he secured a maiden Group 3 success on Hugo Palmer’s Dubawi Legend but received a mammoth 23-day ban in the process for breaking German whip rules.

The Kildare native said he was devastated this week as he will now miss an important and very busy part of the season. He also forfeited 50% of the prize m oney.

Dubawi Legend has smart juvenile form, having found only Native Trail too good in the Dewhurst, but he finished a disappointing last in the 2000 Guineas and could only manage mid division in the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot. Switched back to six furlongs, he put up a much better display when third in the Hackwood Stakes at Newbury and then finished fifth to Go Bears Go in the Phoenix Sprint at the Curragh.

He made all for Coakley here, hugging the stands rail, going two lengths clear at the halfway stage and when he was challenged late in the race, he kicked on again in the style of a good horse.

Maximum

Jockeys are permitted to use their whip a maximum of five times in Germany. On watching the race back, Coakley can be seen to have used his whip conventionally four times but seems to have been adjudged to have used it nine times due to unintentionally making contact with the horse’s neck while he had both hands on his reins.

Speaking on the Nick Luck Daily Podcast this week, Coakley reflected: “It’s a very bitter pill to swallow on what was a great day overall. I was well aware of the rules going out there. I was very conscious in my mind throughout the race about five being the limit and using it down the shoulder while your hand is on the reins would be counted.

“In my head, I was pushing with my hands, keeping the bit up in his mouth and encouraging him forward, trying to leave it as late as possible to turn the stick over, knowing that the five can be used up quite quickly.

“In my head, as I’m pulling up, I’ve given him four. I was happy and confident with that. It was only after (the presentation) I got a tap on the shoulder and was given the news the stewards deemed I used the ProCush nine times, which is four over their limit.“Straight away they had taken a large chunk of my prize money and that aside, a 23-day ban, a little short of a month of loss of income at a busy part of the season when there’s still a lot of racing – it’s devastating.”

Dubawi Legend is set to run again in today’s Sprint Cup at Haydock and Palmer has stuck by Coakley, booking him for the ride again.

Earlier, reacting to the ban, the Cheshire based trainer said: “My understanding is the Germans are fairly rigid about these things. I think he has been very harshly done by, but rules are rules.

“He hit the horse behind the saddle four times. While he has been pushing the horse, every time the stick has come into contact with the shoulder, they have counted that as a smack.”