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Next at Yarmouth may be a whip test for jocks
Doubt it,
Corm
: it’s a Nursery, and jockeys riding 2yo’s rarely get anywhere near the limit (because they are professionals and know what their business is!)
They should know their business, a brief glimpse at the BHA’s disciplinary records would show that they frequently don’t.
For all the ‘funny’ comments we’ve had about jockeys being unable to count, I think that will prove to be the key issue in the early days.
Anyone can count to 8, some might say and it’s easy enough to do if that is all that’s on your mind. But if a jock says to himself ‘Ok, that’s 4 hits gone’ and suddenly something veers across him or falls in his path, the survival instinct, rightly, will wipe all else from his mind till the danger has passed.
"Now was that 4 I’ve had . . or 3 . . . or 5"
Jocks are being asked to do the mental equivalent of texting while driving, let’s hope it does not lead to a bad accident.
As evidence builds, my guess is that jockeys will always try to save 5 for the last furlong/from last fence. That’s where the strokes are most often needed, a distraction is much less likely and they will be in full rhythmic action at that stage. And it means only having to count to 2 or to 3.
Anyone can count to 8, some might say and it’s easy enough to do if that is all that’s on your mind. But if a jock says to himself ‘Ok, that’s 4 hits gone’ and suddenly something veers across him or falls in his path, the survival instinct, rightly, will wipe all else from his mind till the danger has passed.
Is there anything which covers the situation where you’ve used all your permitted strokes but your horse then starts to veer across other runners? Normally you would expect a jockey to give his mount a crack to straighten him up but now that he won’t be able to do that will he get banned for careless riding instead?
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Is there anything which covers the situation where you’ve used all your permitted strokes but your horse then starts to veer across other runners? Normally you would expect a jockey to give his mount a crack to straighten him up but now that he won’t be able to do that will he get banned for careless riding instead?
I think this is a scenario we’ll be seeing a lot – and with plenty of appeals against bans, too, on this basis. There’ll be a lot of "veering" going on from now on in, for sure.
Steeplechasing
has it right, too: given the adrenalin going, and survival instinct kicking in, the last thing jockeys will have mental space to do is start counting – they are not robots – and so we’ll see very little whip usage until the final furlong.
Today has been very tense, and something of a nightmare to watch, so far.
BHA Tweet
Re: Robert Winston – Stewards instructed to WARN jockeys against overuse down the shoulder, it is NOT a caution
We’ve scrapped cautions, so jockeys will be warned by stewards for overuse down the shoulder.
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Oh no. I am really shocked by the latter… I think Hughes will have to head over to Ireland to continue his career, given his style. A very sad loss indeed.
This is a shameful day for British Racing.
Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. Racing is run about as well as football is. People in charge have little clue or inclination to change for the good.
How is it possible that a jockey on Strong Suit is allowed to use the whip the same amount of time as McCoy might have to on a 4 mile chaser ?
I think we’ll see a strike.
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Reacting to the ban, Richard Hughes said on Racing UK:
"I only used the whip as a corrective measure, the horse had his head up beside me and I kept pulling on the left rein."
Reacting to the ban, Richard Hughes said on Racing UK:
"I only used the whip as a corrective measure, the horse had his head up beside me and I kept pulling on the left rein."
I thought corrective measures would be taken into consideration by the stewards, resulting in no ban ? Are they calling Hughes a liar and / or poor jockey ?
Funny he should be one of the first banned when he has been the most vocal against the new rules…
Hughes has the right of appeal against his ban and I would not be surprised if his ban is overturned, that is why there is an appeals process.
There will always be contentious stewarding decisions as long as there are amateur stewards on course and like any new rules these will take some time to bed in and for precedent to be created.
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Hughes has the right of appeal against his ban and I would not be surprised if his ban is overturned, that is why there is an appeals process.
There will always be contentious stewarding decisions as long as there are amateur stewards on course and like any new rules these will take some time to bed in and for precedent to be created.
Paul
, I seem to remember almost precisely these same words being uttered by the BHA Mandarins and "responsible" journos a few years ago, when the original, flawed rule was brought in. Does that ring any bells?
Actually you’ve outlined very pithily precisely why this new rule cannot work – it relies, just as squarely as the old one did, on individual Stewards perceptions. Good work!
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Hughes said: "I’ll have to go back to school to learn how to count.
"I knew exactly what I was doing and I was aware – I hit him down the neck for correction matters, nothing else.
"I rubbed him once before and he was leaning in, so I flicked him one down the neck, purely to keep him straight.
"They said you aren’t allowed to use your stick as correction and I was under the impression you were allowed to do that."
Head of stewards William Nunneley expressed disappointment at Fox and Hughes having breached the new rules.
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