whip usage

Back home in California after finishing second aboard Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) in the inaugural running of the $20-million Saudi Cup, jockey Mike Smith said the penalties handed down to him for excessive use of the whip were "absurd." Under rules enacted just before the running of the Saudi Cup card, riders were limited to striking a horse no more than 10 times during a race. The Saudi stewards ruled that Smith struck Midnight Bisou 14 times and also was guilty of hitting his mount with no regard for the...

According to a report in the Racing Post, jockey Mike Smith has been given a nine-day suspension and fined more than $200,000 for excessive use of the whip aboard Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), the runner-up in Saturday's Saudi Cup. The fine is the largest ever handed down to a jockey for a riding infraction. Under Saudi racing rules covering the Feb. 28 and Feb. 29 cards, a jockey is permitted to strike a horse no more than 10 times. The stewards ruled that Smith struck Midnight Bisou 14 times. He...

Whip rule changes that would have barred jockeys and exercise riders from choosing, carrying and using their own personal riding crops in races and workouts hit several snags on Wednesday, leading the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) to postpone voting on the measure in an effort to seek more input and fine-tune the rule's language before potentially bringing it back for reconsideration in February. Although the broad intent of proposed amendments to CHRB Rule 1685 was to codify riding crop specifications to more humane and safety-centric standards, discussion of the...