Dominguez: Whip Rules ‘Not Fair To The Rider, The Athletes Out On The Track’

Hall of Fame jockey Ramón Dominguez shared his opinions on the new whip rules in California and New Jersey with horseracing.net this week. The three-time Eclipse Award winner is concerned with both rider safety and wagering integrity.

In California, jockeys may only use the whip in an underhanded fashion and only six times during the running of a race. Dominguez worries that this does not allow riders to maintain a safe environment out on the track.

“Personally, my biggest worry is what happens when the need for a rider to take corrective action to protect himself, as well as the animal, arrives,” Dominguez told J.N. Campbell. “That is not visible to the observer. I think knowing that the jockey may have the predicament of doing what is right 'safety wise,' but possibly faces penalties is uncompromising. Should they take the chance to be proactive or run the risk that may cause a safety problem? That's not fair to the rider, the athletes out on the track or the integrity and future of the sport.”

Like other jockeys, both active and retired, Dominguez is also concerned about racing integrity. New Jersey has implemented the strictest whip rules in the country, with jockeys only allowed to use the whip for safety, not to achieve a better placing.

“As a jockey, other than making sure you keep your mount, yourself, other horses, and fellow riders safe, your main job is to help your horse reach its maximum placing,” Dominguez argued. “In order to do so, while riding a horse with a laid-back demeanor, that wants to only put forth effort according to what's being asked of him, you may sense the need to use the crop. This is a way to incentivize him. Sometimes you have to do this as early as the last three-eighths of a mile. If he is responding well to it, by the time you reach the last sixteenth, your main tool to ensure your horse reaches its maximum placing has been taken away from you. And with that, your likely opportunity to win; this applies not only to you, but to your connections, and equally important, the person who placed a bet on your horse.”