I completely agree.
I don’t believe it was a good idea to make the whip rules governed by an arbitrary number. But if that is what the BHA wants, it makes no sense to have this grey area between what is acceptable and what causes disqualification.
What jockey will not use those extra three strikes if he thinks it will win the race and it will only result in a fine which is smaller than his fee and winning percentage?
OK, his suspension will mean losing out on riding fees and possibly a few winners but a lot of jockeys will risk that if a big race is on the line.
Even if he had used the whip 11 times, the disqualification would not have happened on the day. Punters who backed Edwardstone would have collected, while punters of the runner up and ridden by someone who had complied with the rules would lose out.
The situation is a farce.