By Dan Ross
In the latest move in the ongoing chess games at Santa Anita, jockeys will carry and use their crops under the existing rules when race-riding at the track this Friday. This reverses a decision the Jockey's Guild touted last week, that the jockeys would ride on Friday without one.
“We will comply, for the time being, with the request from the Thoroughbred Owners of California to not proceed with the jockeys not using riding crops during the races at Santa Anita Park on Friday, April 12,” said Jockeys' Guild President and CEO Terry Meyocks, in a joint press release between the Jockeys' Guild and the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC).
“For the past month we have received virtually no support from industry organizations in California until contacted by the TOC in the last day and a half,” Meyocks said.
“In the interest of moving forward to create a safer environment for both equine and human athletes, we have agreed to work with the TOC to come to a mutually agreeable position on riding crop usage in California to be submitted to the CHRB,” Meyocks added.
Currently, jockeys are permitted to use the whip three times in succession before putting it down to give a horse time to respond.
According to the press release, the Guild will ask the jockeys at Santa Anita and Golden Gate to use the new 360 GT riding crop, which was used by jockeys at Keeneland Racecourse over the weekend. Former jockey Ramon Dominguez helped develop this new crop.
“Jockeys, who take great personal risk every time they ride, are focused on safety and are vigilant caretakers of their horses,” said Greg Avioli, president of the TOC, in the press release. “We appreciate the Guild's willingness to continue to work with us on policy options that protect horses and riders while ensuring that races are run fairly for all participants.”
The TDN had reached out to the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) for comment, but did not hear back before deadline. A spokeswoman for The Stronach Group said they had no comment “at this time.”
Jockey Mike Smith, who had previously supported the no-whip Friday, told the TDN that racehorses are “powerful animals,” and as such, was on board with the Jockeys' Guild's change of plans. “[We need] more negotiations and to talk about it, instead of all of a sudden doing something that's never been done before in the history of racing, as far as I'm aware. I'd like to see us all work together in figuring out what's best for the horses and our industry.”
The back-and-forth over the no-whip Friday at Santa Anita follows a proposed rule change approved by the CHRB at its scheduled meeting last month, which restricts riders to using riding crops only “to control the horse for the safety of the horse or rider.” The proposed rule change will be put out for a 45-day public comment period, and can be amended before the board votes on it again. The proposed rule has not yet been noticed.
The day of whip-less races at Santa Anita was advertised as a fact-finding mission. The Jockey's Guild explained that after each race on Friday Apr. 12, “data” would be gathered from input from the jockeys. The information collected during the trial experiment was intended to be submitted for consideration during the public comment period.
A letter TOC president and CEO Greg Avioli wrote to the Jockeys' Guild–which was distributed to jockeys at Santa Anita Wednesday morning, and on which trainer Bob Baffert was cc'd—laid out clearly his organization's position on the issue of both the no-whip Friday and the proposed CHRB rule change.
“Our only request from you and your Guild members is to postpone any implementation of the Friday 'no whip' rule until after the CHRB rule making process is completed in the coming months,” Avioli wrote.
Avioli added that “to go through with the planned 'racing without whips' this Friday will almost assuredly put our California racing industry back on the front pages in a very unfavorable light,” and he emphasized the potential risk of injury “to horses or jockeys, that could have major negative long-term implications for everybody.”
Furthermore, Avioli wrote that the TOC does not support the CHRB's proposed revision to the whip rule. The revisions are “unworkable for many reasons,” the letter states. As such, the TOC requests “that we join in the Jockey's Guild in presenting to the CHRB a joint position on what appropriate changes could be to the existing crop rule that would be acceptable to both of our organizations.”
“We are most definitely in a time of crisis right now that has the potential to radically change for the worse horse racing in California and other states down the road. For example, we know for certain there are a number of organizations currently working on a statewide anti-horseracing ballot initiative in California. In this time of upheaval and real threats to our industry, we must find common ground where we can with core industry stakeholders including the jockeys,” Avioli wrote.
In Wednesday's press release, Baffert, a TOC board member, said that “we owe it to the riders to work with them to ensure that they're on board with the steps we are taking to create the safest environment possible for our athletes.”
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