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I was rooting as usual for Oisin Murphy in the first at York on Kihavah this afternoon but found his whip style at the finish on this particular ride a little harsh-looking to the eye when making sure of second. A couple of hours later Oisin Orr on Ziggys Condor is touched off on the line with a less harsh looking whip style. Which jockeys have the best whip style?
I have spent a lifetime hoping/waiting for it to be kicked into touch, but all we get is constant tinkering. I can’t see anything ‘stylish’ about hitting a horse.
I don’t know whose is best, but Luke Morris must be a strong contender for the worst. I wince every time I see him ride a finish.
Lester on Roberto in The Derby. The horse benefited that much from the ride, that later in the season he was the only horse to ever beat The Brigadier.
Luke Morris is the only one of today’s jockeys that really stands out and not because of just his ugly whip waving style but also the bump down onto the saddle riding (that Pat Eddery made famous) that when put together with the whip action looks like he would make a horse more unbalanced because of it (even though it works for him clearly) but it stands out a mile in any finish and makes me cringe a little to see.
Lester was the ultimate in that he could work both ends of the spectrum, people often state Roberto and The Minstrel Derby rides as being OTT with the whip (though both horses didn’t seem to suffer any ill affects afterwards with big subsequent wins) but then you watch the absolute sympathetic masterclass that was his 1968 St Leger ride on Ribero on winter deep ground that he won by a short head without resorting to using the whip at all.
That being said I was always partial to Steve Cauthen’s style that was a perfect evolvement of his low US style into a US/Euro hybrid that I think changed the game for jockeys that followed.
I see the RP has reported in its race comments that Richard d Kingscote inadvertently hit approaching rival Glamour Show on the nose in the final furlong at Newbury this afternoon. Does this happen more often than we realise? Is it up to jockeys to steer five or six feet clear of the leader? Are there certain rules on how the whip is brandished in the finish? Should perhaps the use of the whip be banned in the last furlong or 1/2 furlong of a race.
Something to ponder on!Just a week after Richard Kingscote inadvertently hit Glamour Show on the nose with his whip near the finish the RP is now reporting in its race comments that winning jockey Pat Dobbs accidentally hit Bolo Neighs on his nose in the last 100yds at Newbury yesterday. And I only look at the occasional 2yo race! It simply it isn’t acceptable that horses (especially 2yos) are being hit and intimidated by the whips of rivals especially near the finish when they are already trying to respond to the whip of their own jockey. I imagine whips are being brandished more theatrically now that the actual number of strokes are restricted. Something needs to be done about this unintended consequence in the form of further whip restriction or outright ban in the last half-furlong if not furlong. Now!
(Fair play to the RP for identifying and reporting these incidents)
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