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Brace yourself for Cheltenham on this evidence
And the jockey who helped to frame the ridiculous rules promptly retires.
Nice of him.
If punters can see a jockey continuing to wave the whip at his horse (after he has used it the permitted number of times) rather than putting the whip down altogether then most punters might not be as disgruntled over a ride as the perception (god I hate that word) would be that the jockey is still trying.
I do think it is way past time that the BHA put on their big boy pants and draw a line in the sand and actually defended the sport rather than just constantly reacting to the very vocal minority who’s ultimate bottom line is for horse racing to be banned altogether……the stats (offences to rides ratio etc) showed overwhelmingly that whip infringements were down to all time lows and yet rather than just dealing with the increased penalty side of things (which pretty much everyone rightly said needed an overhaul) they decided the whip rules needed changing as well.
I remember when they first started this review it was stated that it wasn’t a given that whip rules would be changed just because the review was being done…..yeah right, we all knew they would find something to change even when it wasn’t needed because the public perception angle will always trump common sense, stats and a spineless BHA who won’t defend the sport.
I hope there’s a jockey’s strike during Cheltenham. Only way to get the BHA to back off and start defending the sport instead of waving the white flag.
I’d cross the picket line if I hadn’t eaten so many pancakes yesterday.
I won’t be doing 10st again in a hurry – or ever.
Shame, really, as it’s not a bad time to take out a licence seeing as they will all be banned by Cheltenham.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"“I do think it is way past time that the BHA put on their big boy pants and draw a line in the sand and actually defended the sport rather than just constantly reacting to the very vocal minority who’s ultimate bottom line is for horse racing to be banned altogether”.
100% agree LD73.
The lack of leadership by the BHA is a continuing disgrace. It lacks any confidence in its product. You could be forgiven for wondering if it even likes it sometimes.
I suppose it believes these rules will make those who are indifferent or hostile to the sport better disposed towards it. But this is the same BHA which pissed £1.5 million up against the wall on a terrible advert fronted by someone who has no connection with racing. It completely failed to attract a new audience.
The racing media is little better. I listened to a recent Nick Luck podcast in which the host spoke to Lydia Hislop about the new rules. Luck was on the committee which drafted them in response to feedback and research which (as far as I am aware) the BHA has never published.
All Luck and Hislop’s talk was about “public perception” and the need to keep people onside. It all sounded like craven surrender. Nothing about the BHA being on the front foot and defending the sport against its critics, or the BHA and racing media educating people about racing and the pro-cush. Nothing about racing looking after its core audience.
As long as this approach continues, you can guarantee in a few years time the rules will be reviewed again and the number of strikes reduced still further.
Matt Chapman divides the crowd but at least he is standing up for racing instead of constantly apologising.
Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but the result still stands for betting purposes come what may, right?
So, it’s a big handicap at Cheltenham, the money is well and truly down, what gambling owner isn’t going to say to the jockey: “Win at all costs, cut it in half if you have to, if you’re banned I’ll ‘see you right, (financially compensate you) don’t worry about that. Just WIN.”
And that’s why this is such a farce to me.
It will be abused and different jockeys will be taking different levels of notice of these new rules which will actually draw more wider world attention to the whip.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"“Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but the result still stands for betting purposes come what may, right?”
I think that is right. Any disqualification for overuse of the whip would not happen until a few days afterwards, so the result on the day would stand for betting.
I assume owners would lose their prize money though.
I think there will be many instances where the amounts at stake from betting would far outweigh the prize money.
I can see a lot of problems ahead.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"As somebody who rides out on a racing yard and having competed in other equestrian sports, I agree that the whip rules should be tightened up.
This is not a public perceptions issue. Horses don’t deserve to be hit when they’re knackered at the end of a race.
It’s not even up for debate in other equestrian sports. You can’t hit a tired horse to get it to go faster around the cross country at the Olympics.
The ideal scenario would be the whip being carried, but only used for correction. And even then very limited strikes.
Regards the prize money aspect, Lorcan Williams has fallen foul of this aspect as his offence came in a graded race which carries harsher penalties, so they have addressed that comcern to some extent.
I’m a bit concerned around the narrative this week of jockeys being told to ‘be careful’ by trainers regards timing of bans around Cheltenham. It will create a feeling amongst owners and punters that some jockeys aren’t trying this week and further feeds into this Cheltenham being the be all and end all nonsense.
I can see a scenario where we get half the weighing room banned for a few weeks after Cheltenham as they will all class as being races with harsher penalties and with the adrenaline pumping its inevitable. In fact I can even foresee a disqualification.
Nothing wrong with “Don’t use your whip unless you absolutely need to”. That’s not “not trying”, merely not using the whip.
Well, if nothing else there’s a betting angle here: due to some last-minute pedantic BS by the state of New Jersey the use of the whip for encouragement was banned entirely from the jumps races at the Far Hills meeting last year. Hewick and Jordan Gainford won the Grand National Hurdle with a hands and heels ride.
If the pro-cush is abolished other than on safety grounds, the name of the sport will have to be changed to horse riding. Because it will not be horse racing.
I use the term pro-cush intentionally because it is not a whip. Why isn’t the BHA and the racing media on the front foot and explaining how the “whip” is a piece of air cushioned foam which makes a cracking sound? (I am not just complaining here – I have written to the BHA to ask. Not that I expect a reply).
Does the horse ridden by Lorcan Williams look like it has been mistreated or abused in the photo in the attached article? He looks tired – but he has just run 3 miles on good to soft ground.
18 days, a £1,000 fine and missing the entire Cheltenham festival for using a piece of air cushioned foam twice more than an arbitrary number that is not in the slightest bit evidence based. Does anyone seriously think that is a just or proportionate penalty for such a minor offence? Until this madness took hold, he would have got 4 days.
https://www.racingtv.com/news/williams-heartbroken-as-18-day-ban-scuppers-cheltenham-hopes
Everyone has been told what the rules are.
If jockeys don’t stick to them then they know the consequences. This mirrors breaking rules in every other sport.
Once breaking the rules leads to the winners being automatically disqualified , then the matters will soon sort themselves. If owners start losing prizemoney for breaches , then jockeys will not be under pressure to excessively hit horses , in fact the exact opposite.I took a couple of work colleagues to the races with me recently who had not previously been , and whip use was something that they didn’t like , despite me advising them over the issue.
I think that racing needs to move with the times if it wants to continue to attract sufficient new devotees and to thrive.“I took a couple of work colleagues to the races with me recently who had not previously been , and whip use was something that they didn’t like”.
OK, let’s frame the rules of a sport and multi million pound business around the opinions of people who have never been before.
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