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Has there ever been a case, in which owners of a second-placed horse have attempted to use the courts to overturn a race result because the winning horse’s jockey violated whip regulations?
Apologies if this question has been poorly thought out.
Not sure.
I vaguely remember a race a few year back now. It was on the all-weather, the name of the jockey is gone but the trainer of the winning horse was Stuart Williams.
His jockey, might have been Dean Mernagh, struck the second horse over the head, I believe he broke his whip.
It’s all a bit vague, I realise, but I believe Williams and Mernagh kept the race. There was a big fuss at the time but I can’t remember if the connections of the second horse went to court.
That wasn’t much help was it?!
Colin
Not sure.
I vaguely remember a race a few year back now. It was on the all-weather, the name of the jockey is gone but the trainer of the winning horse was Stuart Williams.
His jockey, might have been Dean Mernagh, struck the second horse over the head, I believe he broke his whip.
It’s all a bit vague, I realise, but I believe Williams and Mernagh kept the race. There was a big fuss at the time but I can’t remember if the connections of the second horse went to court.
That wasn’t much help was it?!
Colin
Mernagh rode the Williams horse, Mr Gisby to win. He was eventually disqualified but kept the race on the day.
I am sure Wit will correct me if I am wrong but I don’t think any UK court would get involved in such a dispute.
The courts would argue the sporting body has juristiction over the outcome of a contest. The courts would only become involved if there was a point of law in dispute.
The only other time the courts would become involved in a whip case would be if the RSPCA bought a cruelty prosecution.
Maybe time the RSPCA too out a prosecution on a rider who will not adhere to the rules laid down by the horse racing authority.
After all, would an RSPCA offficer watch a member of the public strike a dog with a whip or whith is boot?
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Maybe time the RSPCA too out a prosecution on a rider who will not adhere to the rules laid down by the horse racing authority.
Maybe the RSPCA has got better things to do with its time and money than throw them down the drain, paying lawyers to argue a case the courts would throw out immediately (reason as given by Paul).
This is the real world, Tom: remember that the RSPCA is a negotiating body, which was fully consulted by the Jockey Club before the whip rules were introduced, and is thus in an important sense party to them. The RSPCA has effectively accepted the BHA’s penalty system, and would not therefore be in a strong position to go to law.
After all, would an RSPCA offficer watch a member of the public strike a dog with a whip or whith is boot?
Watching that sort of thing is the RSPCA’s job, and I don’t envy them. They do a good job at dealing with these important issues rationally, and leave destructive, emotional blackmail to the fundamentalist half-wits from Animal Aid.
Pinza,
Nice try, but a wasted effort – Tom doesn’t do reasoned debate.
Think of his contributions as a form of fly posting ………
AP
."Maybe the RSPCA has got better things to do with its time and money than throw them down the drain".
Are you trying to tell the board that that this organization puts money and before the whipping of an animal? Remember this case would not be heard at the OLD Bialy with Rumpole as one of the QCs.
One successful conviction would see more thought being given to how often a jockey whips a horse.
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