THE British Horseracing Authority's Whip Review Committee has ordered the disqualification of Laafi from first place in the closing race at Aintree last Friday.

Owned and trained by Bill Durkan, Laafi won the Debenhams Handicap Hurdle (for conditional jockeys and amateur riders) by a neck. However, it was observed that winning rider Paddy O'Brien had appeared to use his whip 11 times, four more than the maximum number of strikes permitted in a jumps race. Under rules introduced in 2023, the Whip Review Committee - which convenes every Tuesday to review relevant cases from the previous week - is obliged to disqualify horses whose riders have used the whip four or more times more than permitted in a race.