Athlone jockey holds his hands up over ban for rules breach

Athlone jockey Kielan Woods has vowed to deal with the "mental block" he believes is responsible for his latest breach of whip rules.

Woods was handed a ban of 45 days, nine days of which have been deferred for six months, at a recent British Horseracing Authority hearing.

It means the talented jockey will be out of action for 36 days from January 20 to February 24.

It was found that he had broken the rules for a fourth time in a six-month period. The most recent case excessive use related to a winning ride aboard Henry's Friend at Newbury on December 30 last.

"By the time I reach the end of this suspension, I'll have missed around a third of the last year through suspension and I've got no one to blame but myself," said Woods.

"I'm going spend this time off getting to the bottom of why I seem to have a mental block when it comes to this issue and making sure whatever the issue is, I get it fixed," he continued.

Rory Mac Neice act on behalf of Woods a the BHA hearing. The Racing Post reported that Mac Neice pleaded for the panel to take into account the jockey's own conclusion that his repeated breaches were down to "a deep-seated issue in his head which needs to be addressed," following successful modification of his whip technique in conjunction with jockey coach George Baker.

Mac Neice said that Woods had engaged the services of sports psychologist Michael Caulfield in an attempt to get to the bottom of why he continued to find himself in what the jockey himself admitted was "a deeply concerning situation."

In addition to his 42-day ban in June, Woods served an 18-day suspension for accumulated whip offences in December 2022, before new rules and penalties were introduced to British racing.

Now stable jockey to Ben Pauling, Woods has carved out a successful racing career for himself in England.

The Athlone native has won the Grand Annual Handicap Chase in the famed Cheltenham festival on two occasions. He won on Croco Bay in 2019 and guided Global Citizen to success in 2022.