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- Total Posts 17716
Well I just watched the race there and it was a terrible sight to see for the lady in question having her first ride.
My first reaction was what the hell does she think she is playing at??
I just read the post there and she says;
"I wasn’t trying to be clever, I was exhausted,"
I find it hard to believe that she was so exhausted that she couldnt move her hands, it looked as if she was trying to be cheeky but Im not a jockey, she is, and I will take her word for it.
My question here is did the stewards do the right thing?
The stewards clearly didn’t believe her comment on being tired, or didn’t feel is was a valid excuse, and they do have a point, if the horse had of been ridden out it would of won.
So what do you do here, do you go easy as it’s her first ride, or is it one rule for all???
For those who think the stewards were too hard what do you think they should of done?
Do you take the harsh view that if you are not fit enough to ride the full race then you shouldn’t be riding, or do you cut some slack?
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Is there an argument here that there should be more vetting of amateurs allowed to race on the race track proper.
If we are trying to build the profile of the sport we cant have instances like this can we??
OR
Do we just accept that this can happen in amateur races?I do feel sorry for her as this was her first ride but is this an excuse???
Ban a girl who is having her first ride in Public for 6 Months because she was too tired to lift her arms to push half a ton of horse out to the line.
Can’t make this up.
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Ban a girl who is having her first ride in Public for 6 Months because she was too tired to lift her arms to push half a ton of horse out to the line.
Can’t make this up.
I take your point and being honest I think it is OTT aswell, but is there an argument that if you are not race fit then you should not put yourself in a situation where you may get found out???
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Maybe stewards need to accept that Amateur races are exactly that, races in which amatuers are riding in, and therefore mistakes will happen.
Perhaps different stewarding rules should be applied to amateur races or else it will put young jockeys off trying out??
It’s a tough one, Joncol … I’ve also seen the race and it’s hard to say whether the "lack of assistance" was down to exhaustion or not.
At first glance it appears she was trying to win a little bit cheekily and that clearly appears to be the view that the judges have taken.
Harsh in the sense that, as an amateur, the days only tot up when there is an amateurs race on the card … therefore her 28 days could amount to something like a six month ban.
The other view is, if it was deemed that she was of sufficient ability to take her first ride, then her fitness has to be taken on trust … no-one expects a Hayley Turner style drive but those punters that have backed the horse, irrespective of whether it was favourite or not, were entitled to expect more if tiredness really was the reason … one of the reasons why, if faced with a similar race whilst on a day out racing, I invariably back the best / most experienced rider in the race regardless of what the form book tells me !!
She isn’t a professional
She is a amateur rider looking for a few rides because its the sport she loves.
Banning her for 6 Months because she doesnt beat the animal silly with the whip or push it out to the line is insane
I can’t fathom a 6 month ban basically.
A couple of days yes but 6 Months
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It is my view that amateur races should be non betting events, therefore easing the pressure on the young jockeys starting off in them.
However the fact remains here that the horse lost the race due to the jockey, another jockey would of won.
Now do the stewards accept that the jockey error is down to tiredness and therefore nothing she could do, Or do they serve the ban which basically says well if you were not fit enough thats your fault.
If I were stewarding I would accept that amatuers are exactly that and given this was her first time in the saddle would cut her some slack here.
Wallace, I agree it seems over the top and I have some sypathy for her (unlike those who’d backed it presumably) … it really doesn’t look good and she’ll probably be the first to admit that.
The most damaging thing for the girl is probably that the severity of the sentence almost implies intent as opposed to incompetence … which would, I’m sure, be very wide of the mark !!
A few days Token Punishment was exactly what was required
6 Months though
Yet Eddie Ahern tots up numerous bans while beating donkeys at southwell with the whip yet he is a professional and i don’t think he got much more than 3 Months
The World is gone potty….Racing is gone Potty.
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Personally speaking I think Racing For Change should look at restructuring the whole set up of amateur races.
Amatuer races should be about educating young jockeys and allowing for the odd mistake in the hope that they are not repeated in latter careers.
This sort of thing is terrible for the sport
1) The jockey looks like a fool and feels just as bad
2) The stewards look too harsh
3) Punters feel cheated
4) Perhaps most importantly, newcomers to the sport will laugh at the whole image of racing and calibre of those involved.
Amatuers should be allowed to race in amatuer races and not feel such pressure. I feel a non betting race environment may achieve this.
However when an amatuer races in a race with senior jockeys so connections can take advantage of their claim they must be prepared to accept that they will then be treated as a senior with regard to stewarding.
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The most interesting thing here is I think we all agree it was too harsh.
But Yet if you look at posts surrounding stewarding we are all complaining about lack of consisantcy in the sport with regard to stewarding. The argument here is how can stewards be consistant on a daily basis if we are now asking them to take individual circumstances into consideration??????
Indeed was it not Danny Cook who himself says there is a lack of consitancy, i.e there should be one set of clear rules.
Im not saying who is wrong and who is right but I do feel that calling for individual circumsatances to be considered does go against calls for consistancy. I do not think you can have both..
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There are several people who think the stewards made the right call today in the 1000 guineas, I am one of those. Their argument was the stewards were simply following the rules.
But the stewards today at Salisbury were also just following the rules, as far as I am aware there is nothing in the rule book that states if a jockey fails to ride a finish you should go easy on their punishment if it was their first time riding.
At the end of the day wether we like it or not the stewards were only following the rules, they had no other choice if we are all asking for consistancy?
Don’t get me started on Danny
I have followed him almost from the start of his career when I recognised him as a young jockey with an uncanny sense of pace judgement, especially from the front … I have since been rewarded with some fantastic wins along with "one or two" frustrations … I sincerely hope the powers that be don’t throw the book at him next week when his referral takes place.
The lad is extremely talented and shouldn’t be pilloried for his occasional lack of directional sense or his split second misjudgement at Newton Abbot last week (even I had to laugh and I’d backed it) … I’ll admit he can’t really afford any more lapses though
I am being genuine even though I’ve just re-read my last paragraph and realise it sounds a bit facetious
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Riding in public on a licensed racecourse, in a race on which bets can be struck, is not a hobby, Wallace, and as such her ‘love of racing’ is neither here nor there. If sitting motionless on a horse for all of seven furlongs leaves her so exhausted that she can’t muster the strength to move just one arm, then a career as a jockey simply isn’t for her.
The fact of the matter is she’s failed to make any effort – not just ‘too little’ effort, but no effort whatsoever – to win the race on Advertise and has been punished in accordance with the rules she agreed to obide by upon being granted her amateur status.
How would the incident be viewed by first-time racegoers, especially those who had backed the horse? Will they forgive her as it was her first official ride? Will they happily return to the racecourse having had no run for their money in this instance?
The correct decision, without doubt; would you overlook a two-footed challenge from a 17-year-old footballer if he was making his debut?
If she was that tired she couldn’t move her arms or hit the horse surely the first thing that she’d end up doing is sitting down on the horses back?
Generally don’t buy the tiredness theory but either way given she can only be banned for amateur riders races then I think 28 days/6 months is far too long. The next 5 or 6 would be more than enough and likely amount to a month of not riding.
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I take your point but a 5 or 6 day ban would be going against the rules. The stewards must follow the rules if we want them to be consistant.
So if they are leanient here then what is the rule for future instances for leaniency, do you allow the same for a jockey having their 2nd ever ride, or their 3rd ever ride, or indeed do you cut a senior jockey some slack if returning from long term injury??? If you go against the rules here then you are opening up a whole can of worms.
I would love for common sense to prevail but in life everyones opinion of common sense if different therefore a clearly stated set of rules must be followed, and therefore no one can complain, the rules are there for all to see.
I would much rather welcome the idea of re structuring amatuer races with a different set of rules which could allow for less strict punishment in such instances. If an amatuer is to ever learn then they must do so with practise, how will this lady now learn when banned from the track for so long, or indeed will her confidence be so shocked that she may not want to come back???
The stewards made the right decision here, the real problem is the setup of amatuer races not the decision they made.
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