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Gulfstream Park Issues New ‘House Rules’ Regarding Riding Crop Usage

Following an agreement between 1/ST Racing's Gulfstream Park, the Jockeys' Guild and the Florida Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., began to institute new house rules regarding the usage of riding crops, effective Aug. 6.

Among the changes is a limit of six overhand strikes in the final three furlongs of a race, with no more than two strikes in succession. Riders must then give their mount a chance to respond before using the crop again. There is no numeric limit to backhand strikes in the final three furlongs of a race or shoulder taps with the crop in the down position and both hands of the jockey on the reins.

Gulfstream issued a statement on behalf of the track's owner, reading: “The updated crop usage rules reflect 1/ST Racing's ongoing commitment to safety, integrity and accountability in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing.”

Following are the new crop rules for racing at Gulfstream Park:

Use of Riding Crop

(1) Although the use of a riding crop is not required, a jockey who uses a riding crop during a race shall do so only in a manner consistent with exerting his or her best efforts to win.

(2) In any race in which a jockey will ride without a riding crop, an announcement of that fact shall be made over the public address system.

(3) An electrical or mechanical device or other expedient designed to increase or retard the speed of a horse, other than a riding crop approved by the stewards, shall not be possessed by anyone, or applied by anyone to a horse at any time at a location under the jurisdiction of the racing commission.

(4) A riding crop shall not be used on a 2-year-old horse in races before April 1 of each year.

(5) Allowable uses of a riding crop include the following:

(a) The riding crop may be used at any time, without penalty, if, in the opinion of the stewards, the riding crop is used to avoid a dangerous situation or preserve the safety of other riders or horses in a race;

(b) Use of the riding crop in the overhand fashion for a total of six times from the 3/8th pole to the finish line, only to be used two times in succession and then must give a horse a chance to respond.

(c) If necessary during a race, a riding crop may be used in a backhanded fashion on the hindquarters from the 3/8th pole to the finish line. This use will not be counted toward the use of the crop six times in the overhand fashion.

(d) Tapping the horse on the shoulder with the crop in the down position, while both hands are holding onto the reins and both hands are touching the neck of the horse; and

(e) Showing or waving the crop without contact with the horse and giving the horse time to respond before striking the horse.

(6) Use of the riding crop to make contact with a horse to maintain focus and concentration, to control the horse for safety of the horse and rider, or to encourage a horse is allowed, with the following exceptions:

(a) In any manner, other than backhanded on the hindquarters as set forth in Paragraph (5)(c), tapping on the shoulder as set forth in Paragraph (5)(d), or resulting in more than six times in the overhand manner as set forth in Paragraph (5)(b);

(b) The riding crop shall not be used more than twice in succession and the horse must be given a chance to respond before using it again;

i. “Chance to respond” is defined as one of the following actions by a jockey:

1. Pausing the use of the riding crop on their horse before resuming again; or

2. Pushing on their horse with a rein in each hand, keeping the riding crop in the up or down position; or

3. Showing the horse the riding crop without making contact; or

4. Moving the riding crop from one hand to the other.

(d) On the head, flanks, or on any other part of its body other than the shoulders or hindquarters;

(e) During the post parade or after the finish of the race except if necessary to control the horse;

(f) Excessive or brutal use of the crop causing injury to the horse;

(g) Causing welts or breaks in the skin;

(h) If the horse is clearly out of the race or has obtained its maximum placing; and

(i) If the horse is showing no response.

(7) A riding crop shall not be used to strike another person.

(8) After the race, a horse will be subject to inspection by a racing official or official veterinarian looking for cuts, welts, or bruises in the skin. Any adverse findings shall be reported to the stewards.

(9) Use of the crop during workouts shall be permitted so long as such use does not violate section 6(c) through (i).

(10) The giving of instructions by any licensee that, if obeyed, would lead to a violation of this section may result in disciplinary action also being taken against the licensee who gave the instructions.

(11) Only padded/shock absorbing riding crops approved by the stewards, which have not been modified in any way, may be carried in a race.

(12) During a race, if a jockey rides in a manner contrary to this rule, at the stewards' discretion, the stewards may impose a minimum fine ($250 for overnight race; $500 for stakes races) or a suspension. If in the opinion of the stewards the violation is egregious or intentional, the stewards have the discretion to impose both a fine and a suspension. Factors in determining whether a violation is egregious include, but are not limited to:

(a) recent history of similar violations;

(b) number of uses over the total and consecutive limits described; and

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Pimlico: Turf Racing Suspended For Track Maintenance

Turf racing at Pimlico Race Course will be suspended from Friday, June 25, through Sunday, June 27, to allow for maintenance of the course.

The Maryland Jockey Club June 24 said the maintenance is needed as a result of the extended meet at Pimlico, which originally was scheduled to end live racing May 31. Pimlico opened a few weeks early in late April and was approved to race through Aug. 22 because of the ongoing dirt surface reconstruction project at Laurel Park.

The MJC said the maintenance will allow the Pimlico turf course to be used through the end of the summer meet in late August.

“We want to do more aeration and fertilization,” said MJC Track Superintendent Chris Bosley, who also oversees the turf courses at Pimlico and Laurel. “We want to be able to confidently say the turf course can hold up until we get back to Laurel (in early September). I think getting off the turf course this weekend will help us out a lot—it's a reasonable goal.”

Four grass races had been scheduled for June 25, both short and long, and two turf races around two turns were carded for June 26. The June 27 program will have seven races, all on dirt. The card for Friday, July 2, will be drawn Sunday, June 27, and MJC officials said they are hopeful the turf course will be ready for use for the weekend of July 2-4.

The MJC also announced a change in training hours at Pimlico from Monday, June 28, through Thursday, July 1, because of the removal and replacement of the temporary tent barns being used to house horses that were relocated from Laurel as well as those that ship in on race day from the Maryland State Fair at Timonium and other facilities in the state and region.

Training hours at Pimlico for all horses on those four days will be 5:00-7:30 a.m. with a break from 7:30-8:00 a.m. Training will resume from 8:00-10:00 a.m. but only for horses stabled on the Pimlico Road side of the property. Gate schooling will be available Wednesday, June 30, and Thursday, July 1, from 6:30-7:30 a.m. and 8:00-9:00 a.m.

Steve Koch, Senior Vice President of Racing for 1/ST RACING (The Stronach Group), said the barn transition project already has begun. The temporary stalls currently on the grounds at Pimlico must be relocated because of a previous commitment, and TSG is sending 140 stalls from Santa Anita Park. The tent structures to house the stalls will come from local companies.

There are currently 120 temporary stalls at Pimlico. The transition process will begin in earnest June 28 with a goal of having all 140 stalls available by July 8. An 18-stall barn behind the old wooden grandstand near the far turn at Pimlico is already being constructed to facilitate the transition.

Koch said he has mapped out a plan to address “the transition in the same footprint without displacing horses.” He said the strategy is to add stalls while removing receiving stalls to accommodate horses and ensure that each race day—currently Friday, Saturday and Sunday—120 stalls are available.

If all of the 140 stalls from Santa Anita Park are usable, there will be 20 more stalls at Pimlico than are currently available. When the first set of temporary stalls were constructed, Gulfstream Park, another TSG property, sent more than enough stall mats to accommodate the number of stalls, Koch said.

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‘Way Bigger Than We Originally Anticipated’: Laurel Track Work To Stretch Into Summer

Officials from The Stronach Group announced June 14 that the track renovation at Laurel Park will take longer than originally planned. On a webinar for horsemen, track management revealed that while they had hoped to resume stabling and workouts on the surface in early July, early August is now the target after excavation revealed more serious issues with the base. Dennis Moore, senior track superintendent for 1/ST RACING, reported that it appears a “high plasticity clay” was added to the base at one point “which should have never been there.”

The clay retained water, which was a particular problem since a spring ran under the track surface. The spring originally had a French drain system to remove the water, but that was plugged up at some point.

“It was really just a wet sloppy mess,” said 1/ST chief operating officer Adian Butler. “You don't need to be a track engineer to understand there's a lot of water underneath there.”

The clay has been removed and there will be some regrading done around the quarter pole as well as some surface consistency adjustments on the backstretch.

Additionally, Butler said there were two active sewer lines discovered underneath the track's homestretch, as well as one inactive stormwater drain. The entire base of the track will be replaced and ultimately the pipes discovered there will need to be filled with a solid material so that if they crack, the material above them won't shift.

“It's way bigger than we originally anticipated … we're not going to do this unless we're going to do it properly,” Butler said.

The base will be completely replaced, and Butler could not rule out a need to do additional renovations in two or three years.

In the meantime, the track is replacing boards and doing extensive painting and power washing in the barn areas, and continuing to battle the rat issue.

When horses do return to the surface, Butler and others stressed that it would be a gradual process to get up to full steam. Horses will be allowed to do light work, followed by timed work, followed by racing with extensive surface checks along the way by The Stronach Group and the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory. Butler was hopeful racing could return to Laurel sometime after horses come back the first week of August, but stressed the timeline is dependent on weather and the supply chain for the track surface materials.

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Pimlico: Last Two Tests On Medina Spirit Clear, Colt Is Cleared To Run

After undergoing three rounds of out-of-competition blood sample testing as part of the condition of entry agreement into Preakness 146 between the Maryland Jockey Club (MJC) and trainer Bob Baffert, Medina Spirit, Concert Tour and Beautiful Gift have been reported clear and are eligible to race this weekend at Pimlico Race Course.

Two samples were drawn on May 6 and May 10 by the Maryland Racing Commission and were screened by Industrial Laboratories in Colorado. A third sample was drawn on May 11 by 1/ST RACING and MJC and screened by the University of California at Davis Maddy Laboratory.

Beautiful Gift is entered into the George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) and Medina Spirit and Concert Tour in the 146^th Preakness Stakes (G1).

Consistent with the fair procedures and practices established by 1/ST RACING and MJC, the additional tests and monitoring were conducted as part of the rigorous condition of entry agreement to ensure the fairness and integrity of the races with horses entered by Baffert.

All horses entered in both the George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes and the 146^th Preakness Stakes will remain under veterinary observation and security surveillance.

To view a copy of the Maryland Jockey Club and Bob Baffert agreement, please click here.

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