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I am not suggesting it is . However , I like Paddy Brennan , and I think that he has been dealt a few bad hands in the past.
However look at the ride on Presenting Yeats in the 15.23 today . Other , than the finish , it was a great ride , especially , as the horse seemed reluctant at the start.
However , in the finish , he literally stands up in the irons , then raises his whip hand above shoulder height , and still delivers a full stroke. This unbalances him , and the horse, to such an extent , that he almost falls off.
As he is one of the current top jocks , does this not make the idea that the whip / crop is a “corrector” an absolute fallacy , and another “own goal” for the sport ?It is a difficult one. It really did not look pretty in the finish. However, the horse looks like an awkward and lazy character who needs strong handling. Brennan needed to get stuck into him to win. What else was he supposed to do?
Most betting shop punters (the horse was favourite) will see it as a great ride and a case of a strong jockey outriding the runner up. But to outsiders it will only reinforce their views on the whip and racing.
Whip abuse or well judged ride?
I think the thread title is a little unfair as it sets the narrative along a certain path.
Stewards did not question the ride.
Different eyes see things in many ways.Thought it was one of the best rides I’ve seen recently and made the difference between victory and defeat.
Yes. This. Paddy got to work on an idling horse before the last and showed his horsemanship anticipating trouble with the path and kept his horse up to his work.
Good ride and the stewards thought so too.I have looked at the video now. All four times that Brennan used his whip, his hand was above his shoulder and therefore against the rules. His hand was so high that he might be using excessive force (another rule) or compromising the welfare of the horse (another rule). There was no enquiry into that situation by the stewards. If the stewards did not see that, then they should be under investigation themselves. What is the point of the BHA and racing groups spending so much time agonising about what the whip rules should be, and then appoint stewards who cannot be bothered to watch the races they are supposed to be stewarding.
Cork said: “However, the horse looks like an awkward and lazy character who needs strong handling. Brennan needed to get stuck into him to win. What else was he supposed to do? “ That may all be true, but why should it have any influence on whether Brennan broke the rules or not. Mr Lifter might not have the strength to win a medal at weight-lifting, but should that lack of strength mitigate his coach giving him steroids? Mr Mugger might not have enough money to feed his wife and children tonight, so would you be OK with him taking £25 from from your wallet?
There are many people inside racing who bring up the subject of why breaking the rules may still lead to a horse winning a race which it would otherwise have lost. Why is it only the rules about the use of the whip that can have this affect? A horse can win a race by five lengths, but if it gained six inches by going the wrong side of a bollard it will lose the race. In horse races we are trying to see which is the best horse in the circumstances, not find out which one can perform best under whipping. Why is whipping a natural “OK”, while buzzers and spurs and other forms of motivating a horse are not?
I know what you mean, MV. All I meant was if Brennan had just given the horse a couple of back handers and then ridden him hands and heels, he would not have won and he would have been criticised for a bad ride. He actually performed a minor miracle to win on a horse who very nearly planted himself at the start.
However, I agree with you it was surprising that the stewards took no action. When I saw it in real time, my first thought was that Brennan was going to get a ban. The optics looked bad. It did look as though he raised the whip above shoulder height but that might have been misleading due to his odd posture in the saddle.
As for buzzers and spurs, other people will know better than I do but I assume they do hurt the horse, whereas the modern whip is air cushioned. Is there any evidence the horse was hurt yesterday? I assume not and he clearly did respond to the whip.
Similarly I thought Luke Morris was using quite a high whip action on Alerta Roja in the Doncaster Cup but I don’t think the stewards looked into that one at all.
The whip is cushioned but many people outside racing don’t know or care about that. The move is also clearly going to carry more of a sting from that height even if it doesn’t leave a mark, hence the horse responding better, so again we come back to the question why bother to ride within the rules in a tight finish if others don’t and get away with it.
When the Skelton’s first appeared on the scene, I did pretty well with their runners.
However, my liking for them diminished last season when I saw Harry whack a horse after crossing the line when finishing runner-up.
This happened on one, or IIRC two occasions and is ugly to watch.If this happens in full view on the racecourse and on camera, what happens behind closed doors?
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