Beat the Spanish horse (4)

I believe the answer is:

lash

'beat' is the definition.
(lash can mean to beat as punishment)

'the spanish horse' is the wordplay.
'the spanish' becomes 'las' ('the' in Spanish).
'horse' becomes 'h' (synonyms).
'las'+'h'='LASH'

(Other definitions for lash that I've seen before include "Stroke of the whip" , "Whip with a sharp blow" , "over the eye" , "Fasten with rope; whip" , "Flog" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

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