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Should the BHA allow Towcester to race whip-free?
A quick straw poll among TRF’ers to see what the voting on this would be.
(By ‘limitations’ in option 2 I mean things like limited duration, or with some modification of whip rules rather than whip-free, etc)
No. A ridiculous overreaction to a tiny (but vocal) minority. In any event the BHA write and administer the rules of horseracing, not Towcester.
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I abstain for the moment.
I ‘m waiting for jockeys to opine first.No, do not give these anti whip campaigners an inch. This needs to be nipped in the bud its getting boring now. The whip must be kept in the game without compromise. End of story IMO.
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I want to listen to the pros.
Already invited some from my facebook.
Let’s approach this by the book.Third option, as in the current ‘hands and heels’ races
Let the talking stop and let the action begin.
There is absolutely nothing to lose and possibly something to gain; be that proof that the whip is required as ‘persuader’ as well as for safety, or isn’t
It’s better to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all
I would have thought this was an issue for the BHA to decide rather than an arrogant upstart at Towcester.
What could have happened to Dancing Dude and his jockey at Towcester last Sunday if he’d not been allowed to use his whip properly?It is a mistake to, effectively, accept flawed views on animal welfare and take measures to placate an ignorant majority. Doing so only opens the thin edge of the wedge which will not go away.
Sadly this issue will not go away , so we may as well try it and see how it works , what is to lose ??
It is my sincere belief that the BHA will be forced to do something sooner rather than later , and btw, they have handled this with their customary lets not do anything just yet approach , while the momentum to ban the whip gathers apace
Lets try it and see if it succeeds or fails , the measurement of that will be fairly easy , both from a betting , press, and public perception point of view
We have to move on , never again can a jockey break the rules , win the national , have a token ban issued , keep the race , whilst the general public fume in disgust ..Racing cannot be isolated continually
Ricky
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Give it a try with what objective?
The point of an experiment is to determine the outcome – be it unlikely, likely or certain – of an event given a particular set of circumstances. In this case, all we’re going to see is horses running from A to B without being encouraged; gaze across Newmarket first thing in the morning and you’ll see that every day.
Towcester’s attempt to limit the use of the whip amounts to little more than a publicity stunt and shouldn’t be given even a moment’s consideration. What happens if an avoidable incident – that is, an instance in which the deployment of the whip would have led to potential or unquestionable correction – results in a horse (or jockey, or several of each/either) being injured? At whose feet will the blame be laid?
Towcester? No, it wasn’t their decision. The public? No, they were just voicing their concerns and didn’t actually call for a ban. Racing? Bingo! The BHA will be cited as the facilitators of Towcester’s plan and the sport will be worse off than it was before.
No good can come of a renegade operation such as this.
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The nays are having it.
It should also be noted that the "yes" choice was the ban, a well known psychological factor towards influencing the outcome of the voting.It’s wrong, though convenient, to claim this is only a vocal minority who know nothing about racing who wish to ban the whip, unless you regard the likes of Sir Peter O’Sullevan, John McCririck, Claire Balding, Ian Balding and John Francome as such.
I don’t see why Towcester shouldn’t be allowed give it a try, to prove whether racing can occur competitively without using the whip for encouragement. The whip is still going to be there so that negates the argument about safety, the jockey can use it to prevent mishaps, they just can’t use it to try to make the horse go quicker. I would’ve thought the pro whip would be more in favour of it occuring at Towcester, for if there’s one racecourse where a trial is most likely to fail it’s one with such a stiff uphill finish.
I would definitely vote yes.
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I don’t see why Towcester shouldn’t be allowed give it a try, to
prove whether racing can occur competitively without using the whip
for encouragement. The whip is still going to be there so that negates the argument about safety, the jockey can use it to prevent mishaps, they just can’t use it to try to make the horse go quicker. I would’ve thought the pro whip would be more in favour of it occuring at Towcester, for if there’s one racecourse where a trial is most likely to fail it’s one with such a stiff uphill finish.
I would definitely vote yes.
That’s where you’re wrong.
All racing without the whip proves is that horses will run from A to B without encouragement; it in no way proves that their being competitive.
And, as for the whip’s continued presence ‘negating the argument about safety’, how long will it be before a slap two furlongs out has to be deemed either legal or illegal? If a jockey comes in and says ‘I had to do it as I felt the horse pulling’, who’s to say otherwise?
With no reliable parameters and no means of measuring success, it’s as dangerous an exercise as it is pointless.
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We have bigger problem here in Greece.
The apprentices are allowed only hands and heels but they race together with the pros who carry whip.
So you don’t know what will happen if a horse is mounted bu apprentice jockey. It’s playing with peoples nerves.
It’s been always like that but only recently did we realize the rules about it in other countries are different (with the help of this forum also).If the ban is for "no encouragement strokes" only then it’s not so awful but there are two likely main sources of trouble (a) stayer horses needing it at the start, (b) misinterpretations and disputes.
While at the moment I’d be against the banning of the whip, the third option seems the most logical.
Let them use the whip for safety reasons, over a trial period, what harm could it do?
It would be interesting to see if the views of some jockeys and trainers change, or whether they’d be more against the banning of the whip than ever.
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