FOLLOWING his ride on Emperor's Choice in the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow on 27th December, Aiden Coleman has been handed a four-day ban by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA).

A retrospective enquiry was held last week following the winning ride in Chepstow's feature race, with the verdict made because of exceeding the permitted usage of the whip.

Coleman rode Emperor's Choice to a short-head victory and course stewards raised no concerns about the ride on the day.

The BHA then decided to look into the race and decided on the punishment.

A spokesperson from the authority said: "Firstly we would like to thank Aidan Coleman for his conduct and professionalism in dealing with this matter.

"BHA as regulator has a responsibility to enforce the rules of racing. Once a potential offence had been identified by a subsequent centralised review, BHA had an obligation to hold an enquiry.

"Rare though they may be, from time to time and for a variety of reasons breaches of the rules are not dealt with on the day.

"Retrospective enquiries are part of the process through which BHA strives for consistency in terms of regulation. The same applies to other major sporting regulators, where retrospective enquiries are routine. Greater damage would be caused in the long run by a regulator not dealing with such incidents at all after they have identified a potential breach of the rules.

"Those on duty at Chepstow on the day of the Welsh National accept that the matter should have been enquired into on the day, and this is not in dispute. At the same time, BHA has noted their explanation as to how and why their immediate priority was to hold an enquiry into the false start. As always these matters are dealt with through the employer/employee relationship."