Leading jockey Paul Moloney voiced his displeasure at the penalties dished out for whip offences as the first National Hunt meeting to take place under the new guidelines passed without serious incident at Huntingdon.

Under the new rules, which came into effect on Monday, jump jockeys are allowed to hit their mounts a total of eight times during a race, including five times after the final hurdle or fence. Failure to adhere to the strict guidelines will lead to not only a riding suspension, but also mean the jockey will be forced to forfeit his riding fee and any share of the prize-money.

Moloney used up his full quota of hits when guiding 25-1 chance Tayarat to a game victory in the Frimstone Recycled Aggregates Handicap Hurdle, but stayed within the rules.

The jockey admitted the matter was playing on his mind throughout the twomile contest and believes not a single jockey is happy with the penalties that are in place. ‘‘I was thinking about it the whole way through the race. You are very, very conscious,’’ said Moloney. ‘‘I turned in and it was on my mind how many hits I had left and it’s quite a strange rule for me and quite bizarre.

‘‘If you hit your horse nine times instead of eight, you end up getting your riding fee taken off you and the prize-money. ‘‘With petrol and everything else, it will end up costing you £100 to go racing. I think that is very harsh.’’