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Letter To The Editor: The Place Of The Whip In Horse Racing

The whip in horse racing:

Reading this letter, one is entitled to ask: 'Who are you, to pass comment on such a contentious issue, when you have never ridden in a race?'

This is a fair comment. But as many sportsmen, whether they are golfers, tennis players, or gymnasts know, it's a bit of a not seeing the wood for the trees conundrum: because a jockey, like a boxer in a frantic fight, is often consumed in the moment of a tight finish, driven on by adrenalin, not rational thought. And invariably, when confronted with video evidence, they are most contrite.

Twenty-five years ago, I won an Eclipse Award for a radio broadcast on this very subject. And, listening to the words of Frankie Dettori, Sandy Hawley and Ted Walsh, at that time, it is evident that little has changed in the debate, even though animal rights' activists are far louder in their criticism, these days.

They say that great jockeys have great hands. Hands that immediately convey calm and confidence to any horse that they alight upon. These same hands send messages. Relax. Time to get going. And a whip, for them, is much like a balancing bar for a tight-rope walker: they wave it rhythmically in time with pumping the reins, driving their mounts to the wire.

The whip can get attention. It can steer. Now and again, it can convey urgency. And anyone who has stood at the three-eighths pole, as a field of horses leaves the backstretch and the race gets serious, will hear all manner of chirping, whistling, shouting, and the smacking of whips as riders urge their mounts on. This is natural. This is competition. But what is not acceptable is flogging horses that are well beaten, and/or striking them in the ribs (behind the girth) or even worse, around the sheath or teats.

Having worked as a traveling head lad in a top stable in France many years ago I would see horses returning after races with shocking welts that would put them off their feed and often not disappear for days. And today, at every racetrack, I strongly believe that commission veterinarians should inspect every horse after each race for signs of abuse, taking photos as evidence, and then hand out suspensions and fines based upon what they see, rather than what videos actually show.

As the great Willie Shoemaker once said, 'More horses are beaten out of the winner's circle than into it.'

Every jockey should be reminded of this. And perhaps, remembering what a great jockey he was, they will think twice before beating up an animal that is responsible for their bread and butter.

–Robin Dawson

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Ruidoso Downs Kicks Off 2021 Season Memorial Day Weekend

Ruidoso Downs Race Track in New Mexico kicks off its summer racing season over Memorial Day Weekend when live racing begins on Friday, May 28. The 2021 season spans 15 weeks for a total of 47 days of live Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred racing. Race days are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and include Monday, May 31 and Monday, Sept. 6.

The $8 million Triple Crown program at Ruidoso Downs will once again be the focal point of the summer racing program. Those signature events include the $1,000,000 Ruidoso Futurity and the $750,000 Ruidoso Derby on June 12-13; the $1,000,000 Rainbow Futurity, the $500,000 Rainbow Derby and the $350,000 Rainbow Oaks on July 24-25; and the famous $3,000,000 All American Futurity, the $700,000 All American Derby and the $350,000 All American Oaks on September 5-6.

The stakes schedule for Quarter Horses continues to grow in 2021 with the addition of the $150,000 Mountain Top Derby for 3-year-olds and the $25,000 Jess Burner Stakes for 4-year-olds-and-up. The Thoroughbred racing program continues to offer rich opportunities with the Mountain Top Futurities and a strong schedule of Zia Festival races for New Mexico-breds in late July. The $50,000 First Lady Stakes for fillies and mares will run on July 4th Weekend.

“Running the 2020 season with 10% occupancy was a challenge, and we are eager to welcome fans back to Ruidoso Downs this summer,” said Jeff True, President and General Manager of Ruidoso Downs Race Track and Casino. “It has been a rough year for everyone, and we are excited to have our horsemen, horses and fans back on the mountain.”

Barns are set to open on April 15, and the track surface will open for training on April 19. Training races for unraced 2-year-olds are currently scheduled to be held May 3-5.

There will be new and familiar faces alike at Ruidoso Downs this summer as 2020 leading Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred trainers are expected to return including Blane Wood, trainer of 2020 All American Futurity winner and AQHA World Champion Whistle Stop Café, Wes Giles, Michael Joiner, Casey Lambert, and Todd Fincher. In addition, there will be some new faces on the backside as 2019 AQHA champion trainer Chris O'Dell moves his stable from Los Alamitos to Ruidoso Downs along with the stable of Dick “Flaco” Cappellucci.

During the off-season, Ruidoso Downs also invested in its on-track technology by signing a long-term tote services agreement with AmTote International; a product of 1/ST Technology and one of horse racing's largest and most innovative racing and gaming technology companies. The agreement will provide new technology to the track and enhance the betting experience for patrons.

The new technology includes the V3000e self-serve terminals which offer users a rich graphic interface, and the F3000e teller and self-serve convertible terminal. In addition, mobile betting through AmTote's MBet platform will also be deployed at Ruidoso. The infield and indoor tote boards will also be upgraded with new LED indication.

1/ST Technology's world-class products – AmTote, Xpressbet, 1/ST BET, XB SELECT, XB NET, PariMAX, and Betmix – are among the most trusted names in gaming, technology, and horse racing. AmTote technology and services host the majority of race track operators in North America and are currently in operation at Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park, Saratoga Race Course, Belmont Park, Aqueduct, and Woodbine, among many others, and process more than $15 billion in parimutuel and fixed odds wagering around the world each year.

“AmTote is a company I am very familiar with and have a great deal of confidence in. The new technology will accrue to the benefit of the New Mexico racing industry for years to come,” said Jeff True, President and General Manager of Ruidoso Downs Race Track. “Ruidoso Downs leads the state and the region in live, on-track attendance and handle, so betting technology matters to us.”

According to Keith Johnson of AmTote: “We are proud to be associated with the entire team at Ruidoso Downs and to now be hosting yet another of the world's major racing events with the world's richest quarter horse race, the All American Futurity, for many years to come.”

Ruidoso Downs Race Track also implemented a new online ticketing system that is designed to make ticket purchasing and seat selection easier for customers. Available season ticket tables are on sale at RaceRuidoso.com or by calling the box office at 575-378-4140. Individual race day tickets go on sale April 19 (with the exception of Labor Day Weekend tickets which will go on sale at a later date).

Ruidoso Downs will once again host the Ruidoso Handicapping Challenge, a qualifier to the National Handicapping Championship, on August 14. The winner of that contest will ultimately be awarded a seat in the National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas. Last year's contest generated a great deal of interest and drew talented handicappers to Ruidoso Downs even during the pandemic.

Ruidoso Downs will offer a series of promotional weekends which will be announced soon on the RaceRuidoso.com website.

The All American Ruidoso Horse Sales continue to be the richest marketplace for American Quarter Horses. In 2021, the Select Yearling Sale will again be conducted on Labor Day Weekend. The New Mexico-Bred Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred Yearling Sale and the Foal-in-Utero Sale will be held August 20-21 during All American Trials weekend. The 2020 Select Yearling Sale was a high point in the history of the sale as 400 yearlings averaged nearly $50,000 each.

Billy the Kid Casino is scheduled to reopen on Monday, March 22 after being closed by state mandate since March 16, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The casino, the Sports Bar, and the simulcasting operation will be open daily from 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM.

New Mexico still has a mask mandate in place and Ruidoso Downs Race Track and Billy the Kid Casino will continue to enforce that mandate along with encouraging other COVID-Safe Practices (CSPs) including social distancing and hand sanitizing. Both entities will be required to follow occupancy guidelines based on New Mexico's Red to Green Framework.

For more information about the upcoming 2021 horse racing season at Ruidoso Downs Race Track, visit RaceRuidoso.com.

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Weekend Lineup Presented By Sky Racing World: First 100-Point Prep Kicks Derby Fever Into High Gear

The $1 million, Grade 2 Louisiana Derby headlines a loaded card at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots on Saturday and represents the first Kentucky Derby prep race this year offering 100-40-20-10 qualifying points to the top four finishers. Saturday's card at Fair Grounds will also feature a prep race for the Kentucky Oaks with the $400,000, Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks drawing a field of eight sophomore fillies.

NBC Sports will broadcast the Louisiana Derby life to kick off its “Road to the Kentucky Derby” series for 2021. The show begins at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Post time for the Louisiana Derby is set for 6:44 p.m. ET. NBCSN will also present the Fair Grounds Oaks.

TVG will be broadcasting live from Louisiana with expanded coverage of the 14-race card. In addition to racing from Fair Grounds, Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park, TVG will feature racing from Oaklawn Park, Aqueduct and more. Fans can tune in on TVG, TVG2 and the Watch TVG app which is available on Amazon Fire, Roku and connected Apple TV devices.

“America's Day at the Races,” presented by Claiborne Farm and America's Best Racing, will air on FS1 and FS2 March 21, showing races from Aqueduct, Oaklawn Park and other tracks.

Saturday, March 20

4:48 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie Stakes at Gulfstream Park on TVG

If e Five Racing Thoroughbreds' Sound Machine can notch her first graded-stakes success in Saturday's Hurricane Bertie, it will be music to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.'s ears. Sound Machine is winless in seven starts since capturing the 6 ½-furlong Glitter Woman by 6 ½ lengths in January 2020, but she produced a graded-stakes finish in the Grade 3 Miss Preakness at Pimlico, where she rallied to third, beaten 1 ½ lengths, after getting bumped at the start.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/GP032021USA10-EQB.html

5:12 p.m.—$400,000 Grade 2 New Orleans Classic at Fair Grounds on TVG

Multiple graded stakes winner Owendale headlines a competitive field of eight older horses for Saturday's 96th running of the New Orleans Classic. Trained by Brad Cox, Owendale began his 5-year-old campaign with a third-place effort in the Grade 3 Razorback at Oaklawn Park on February 27 behind top Dubai World Cup contender Mystic Guide. The Into Mischief colt will break from post 2 with Florent Geroux aboard as he eyes his first graded stakes score since his 3-year-old campaign.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/FG032021USA11-EQB.html

5:43 p.m.—$300,000 Grade 2 Muniz Memorial Classic Stakes at Fair Grounds on TVG

Since switching Colonel Liam to the grass, trainer Todd Pletcher has found himself with a new stable star on his hands, one who can further enhance his budding reputation when he starts in Saturday's Muniz Memorial Classic Stakes contested at 1 1/8 miles over the Stall-Wilson Turf Course. The expectations Colonel Liam has carried since being purchased for $1.2 million at the 2019 OBS April 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale were met in his last start when he prevailed in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational on January 23. Since making his first two starts on dirt, Colonel Liam has won three of his four tries on the turf.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/FG032021USA12-EQB.html

6:14 p.m.—$400,000 Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks at Fair Grounds on NBCSN and TVG

Something will have to give when Clairiere and Travel Column meet for the third time in a row, this time with a lot more than the $400,000 that's on the line in the Fair Grounds Oaks. The talented 3-year-old fillies meet again, with a berth into the Kentucky Oaks waiting in the balance, along with 170 qualifying points for the race, on a 100-40-20-10 scale. Clairiere pulled off a slight upset when she beat Travel Column in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes on February 13, winning a stretch duel by a neck. Clairiere was making her seasonal debut and first start since running second to Travel Column in Churchill's Grade 2 Golden Road Stakes in November.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/FG032021USA13-EQB.html

6:44 p.m.—$1,000,000 Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds on NBCSN and TVG

Trainer Brad Cox is looking forward to showing the rest of the racing world what he's thought all along—that Mandaloun is one serious 3-year-old—when he starts as a strong favorite in the 108th running of the Louisiana Derby. Cox decided to make what would be a key equipment change after Mandaloun ran third in the Grade 3 Lecomte, as he put blinkers on for the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes and saw a much more polished colt turned the tables on both Proxy and Midnight Bourbon with an authoritative 1 ¼-length win. Godolphin's homebred Proxy was a game second in the Risen Star and will try to emulate Mandaloun's path to victory, as he'll add blinkers for the meet's signature race.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/FG032021USA14-EQB.html

7:25 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 San Luis Rey Stakes at Santa Anita Park on TVG

Richard Mandella's classy multiple stakes winning United, idle since early November, will square off with Richard Baltas' sharp recent winner Masteroffoxhounds, as they head a field of five older horses in the San Luis Rey Stakes. A winner of four out of nine Santa Anita turf starts, United has been idle since running a disappointing eighth in the Breeders' Cup Turf last November at Keeneland – a race in which he finished second, beaten a head at Santa Anita in 2019. United enjoyed a terrific year in 2020, winning four out of his six starts, all in graded stakes.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA032021USA7-EQB.html

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Saving Horses, Saving Lives: TRF Hosts Virtual Exhibit Of Second Chances Program

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF), in collaboration with the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame & Museum, will host a live-streaming, virtual exhibit premier on Monday, March 22 from 6-6:30 p.m. ET to debut the “Saving Horses, Saving Lives, A Celebration – Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation Exhibit”, a new addition to the museum.

“It is extremely important to tell the story of the important work that the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation is doing not only in South Carolina, but all over the country,” said Lisa Hall, the Museum Coordinator at the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame & Museum. “Their programs not only give retired racehorses a second chance at life, they also give inmates the chance to participate in a vocational training program in equine care and management. Those skills will give the inmates a chance to become productive members of society once they have served their sentences. The Hall of Fame is extremely proud to be able to highlight the TRF in this exhibit.”

Participants in the free livestream event will have the opportunity to “virtually visit” the historic Aiken museum, meet the team that has brought the exhibit to life and preview the exhibit itself. The event will be hosted by Kim Weir, the TRF's Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving alongside the Museum's Lisa Hall. There will be several special guest appearances including Dr. Reid McClellan, an instructor with Groom Elite, Chris Griffin, a graduate of the program and longtime volunteer William Cox.

“We are looking forward to the opportunity to showcase the life changing work that is being done through the TRF Second Chances program,” said TRF Board Member Paul Saylor. “We are appreciative of the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame & Museum for bringing this exhibit to life and invite everyone who believes in second chances to tune in and enjoy the livestream.”

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation has been a part of the equine landscape in South Carolina since 2004 and has provided care for over 75 horses living in the state including those at the TRF Second Chances Program at Wateree River Correctional Institution in Camden, South Carolina.

The livestream will be available on TRF's Facebook Live, Twitter and YouTube. Click here to request a reminder about the event on Monday evening. A recording of the event will be available on-demand any time after the livestream.

What: Virtual Exhibit premier of “Saving Horses, Saving Lives, A Celebration – Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation Exhibit”

When: Monday, March 22^nd, 6:00-6:30 p.m. ET

Where: Facebook Live, YouTube, Twitter

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