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‘Tough Little Son Of A Gun’: Rocco Bowen Returns To The Winner’s Circle After Scary Fall

Two weeks after a horrific spill, jockey Rocco Bowen recorded his biggest career Oaklawn victory to date in Thursday's seventh race aboard She's Divine ($47.40) for trainer Mike Puhich and North American Thoroughbred Racing Company, Inc. The allowance/optional claimer for older fillies and mares at 1 mile had a $105,000 purse.

“I'm telling you, I feel so thankful,” Bowen's agent/mentor, retired jockey Joe Steiner, said moments after the victory. “I'm just so thankful.”

It was the ninth victory at the meet for Bowen, 31, riding at Oaklawn for the first time this year. Puhich, who has deep ties to the Pacific Northwest, also put Bowen on his first Oaklawn winner (Background) Feb. 27.

Bowen recorded six more victories before he was injured seconds after the final race April 8 when his mount, Critic, fell and hit the rail, sending the jockey crashing to the ground.

Bowen said he never lost consciousness, but he lay motionless for several minutes before being placed on a backboard and transported by ambulance to CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs for further evaluation. No broken bones were found, Steiner said, and Bowen was released that night. Bowen fulfilled his engagements the following day, with the only visible sign of the accident a protective black brace on his sore left hand.

“He's a tough little son of a gun, I'll tell you,” Steiner said, adding he broke 39 bones in his riding career. “Well, you have to be, in this case.”

Steiner said Bowen will ride until the Oaklawn meeting ends May 1 before returning to Indiana Grand, which opened April 13. Bowen, a native of Barbados, became a riding star in the Pacific Northwest, specifically Emerald Downs in suburban Seattle, where he won three consecutive riding titles (2016, 2017 and 2018) before a training accident in September 2018, and subsequent debilitating arm injury, cost him approximately 1 ½ years in the saddle.

Bowen launched his comeback last June in the Midwest and won 39 races at Indiana Grand, including his 1,000^th in North America, to finish eighth in the standings. Steiner said he and Bowen plan to return to Oaklawn in 2022.

“The whole intention is to come back here,” Steiner said. “Now that I've been here, I'm so fortunate and so thankful that they've let agents come on the backside (easing of COVID-19 restrictions). It gave me the chance to get to meet some of these people. I didn't know a lot of these people and next year I'm looking at more and more. It's a matter of just building up more people to maybe get an opportunity with. I love working with people.”

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Letter To The Editor: Monmouth’s Whip Rules ‘Not Worth Dying For,’ Says Contessa

I have really thought hard about sending this letter, but the time has come to speak up.

I have been a trainer since 1984. I have won over 2,300 races and been on just about every safety panel ever presented to the public. I have over 40 videos on Youtube @GaryContessa because I love to talk about this business and try to teach those interested about this business. I would like to give my thoughts on the Monmouth Park whip rule.

I am all about the safety of racehorses, but even more concerned with the safety of our jockeys. I have told every jockey who ever rode for me and every exercise rider who has ever worked for me, “If you feel something, scratch; if you feel something, bring them home.” I — as well as every one of my peers — do not ever want to be responsible for getting a rider hurt. When riders get hurt by a 1,200-pound horse running 40 miles per hour, it is only luck if they only get bumps and bruises. Usually, their injuries are far worse.

What is happening at Monmouth is typical of what is wrong with our industry. It is not just New Jersey — it is almost everywhere. We have non-horse people in authority dictating safety protocol and rules and regulations for our industry without ever having worked in the front lines and with virtually no experience whatsoever with horses. I may be going on a limb here, but I believe it is a very good guess that whomever set up and pushed the new whip rule in New Jersey never rode a race in his or her life. It is also probable that their lifetime experience with horses is limited to a carousel or a pony ride.

What really bothers me, and again is typical of this industry, is they had no desire to hear what the jockeys had to say on the matter. Now think about this: a 1,200-pound horse ridden by a 110-pound jockey is going to be judged by someone on the roof of the grandstand, or in an office somewhere in New Jersey as to whether or not the rider's whip use was correct.

Let me tell you from experience: because of horses, I have a knee replacement on one side, six screws in the other knee, and seven screws in an ankle, and that is just from working on horses on the ground. Horses can really damage a human if they choose to, be it a trainer, groom, or jockey. Sometimes in the blink of an eye a horse sends you a signal and you say, “Oh boy,” and prepare for the worst. For a jockey riding one at 40 miles per hour, I can tell you the signal that they get from that horse happens in less than the blink of an eye.

Telling a jockey he cannot use the whip is the worst rule I have seen in recent memory. Limiting the use of the whip to three or four hits in a certain place is so much more intelligent than the rule at Monmouth.

We have made the whips now so they are heard but not even felt by the horse. Today's whips are not inhumane and if you need proof, there is a nice video with Ramon Dominguez out there showing that humans feel nothing when hit by the whip. Jockeys need to get a horse's attention before they do something, not after it is too late. When they see those ears going back, when the horse is looking too hard at a competitor or when they grab the bit in an effort to go outside or lug in. We have seen this all too often. In a moment a horse ducks in or out and causes a catastrophic accident while getting tangled up with another horse. The horse behind goes down and every horse behind him goes over him.

Jockeys know what they are doing. They, like myself, get a signal right before a horse is going to do something. Horsemen feel it. That subtle signal that comes right before they are about to do something. Sometimes we pick up that signal and sometimes we end up in a hospital, but to take away a jockey's instinct and threaten punishment for simply doing what they have always done to keep horse and rider safe is a bad precedent, and if I were a jockey I would not want to ride at Monmouth Park. It is just not worth dying for.

–Gary Contessa, multiple graded stakes-winning trainer and top trainer in New York by wins, 2006-08

If you would like to submit a letter to the editor, please write to info at paulickreport.com and include contact information where you may be reached if editorial staff have any questions.

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NYRA Announces Jockey, Owner Protocols For Belmont’s Spring/Summer Meet

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced COVID-19 health and safety protocols for jockeys competing at the 48-day Belmont Park spring/summer meet.

The meet, which features 59 total stakes races worth $16.95 million in total purses, runs Thursday, April 22 through Sunday, July 11.

As has been the case at NYRA since April 1, all jockeys who have been fully vaccinated will not be required to undergo COVID-19 testing in order to compete at Belmont Park. Vaccinated jockeys traveling to ride at Belmont Park, as well as members of the NYRA jockey colony who travel outside of New York State, will continue to be provided isolated jockey quarters at Belmont Park.

According to current Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance, individuals are considered fully vaccinated 14 days or more after receiving the second dose in a two-dose series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), or 14 days or more after they have received a single-dose vaccine (Johnson & Johnson / Janssen). NYRA will adhere to the current CDC guidance regarding COVID-19 vaccination standards.

As has been the case since April 1, all jockeys who have been fully vaccinated to the satisfaction of CDC guidelines will be permitted to enter the Belmont barn area for morning training. Jockeys who have not been fully vaccinated will not be permitted in the barn areas but can continue to meet horses in the Belmont Park paddock and utilize the main track.

NYRA will permit out-of-town jockeys to compete at Belmont Park during the 2021 spring/summer meet. Jockeys who have not been fully vaccinated must provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken in New York State within 48 hours of the day they intend to compete at Belmont Park. Out-of-town jockeys will be provided isolated jockey quarters at Belmont Park.

In accordance with current CDC guidelines, jockeys who have traveled internationally will be required to quarantine for seven days upon their return. Four days after arrival in the United States, the jockey must be tested for COVID-19. Upon receipt of a negative COVID-19 PCR test, and completion of the seven-day quarantine, the jockey may compete at Belmont Park. All jockeys who have traveled internationally will be provided isolated jockey quarters.

In addition to race day safety protocols, which include standard health screening and temperature checks, the jockey quarters at Belmont Park have been substantially altered to provide maximum social distancing and reduce density. All areas accessed by jockeys during the regular course of a race day are closed to outside personnel, including credentialed media, and are cleaned and disinfected throughout the day.

Owners licensed by the New York State Gaming Commission will continue to be permitted to attend live racing on the day their horse is entered to run.

A limited number of licensed owners will be permitted within the barn area at Belmont Park during the 2021 spring/summer meet. In order to secure access to the barn area, owners must provide NYRA with proof of completed vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 5 days of the request. Owners are considered fully vaccinated 14 days or more after receiving the second dose in a two-dose series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), or 14 days or more after they have received a single-dose vaccine (Johnson & Johnson / Janssen).

Owners seeking access to the barn area should contact Zerfana Kahn in the NYRA Racing Office at ZKhan@nyrainc.com or 718.659.2313.

Owners approved to enter the barn area will be required to practice social distancing and to wear a facial covering at all times.

Jockey agents who are not fully vaccinated must produce a negative COVID-19 PCR test in order to gain access to the barn area. Races will continue to be drawn via Zoom.

As has been the case since April 1, jockey valets who have been fully vaccinated to the satisfaction of CDC guidelines may continue to enter the barn areas for morning training. In addition, jockey valets who have been working in the barn areas and only saddling horses in the afternoon and have not been fully vaccinated may re-enter the jockey quarters after completing a 10-day quarantine and providing a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 48-hours of their intended return.

The 2021 spring/summer meet at Belmont Park begins with an eight-race program on Thursday. First post is 1:00 p.m. Eastern.

For additional information, and the complete stakes schedule for the 2021 Belmont Park spring/summer meet, visit NYRA.com.

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CHRB Approves Stricter Penalties For Whip Use, Hopes To Have New Rule In Place For Breeders’ Cup

Hoping to have a new rule in place for the 2021 Breeders' Cup at Del Mar in November, the California Horse Racing Board approved on Wednesday new, stricter penalties to impose on jockeys for excessive whip use, reports the Daily Racing Form.

Since Oct. 1, California jockeys have been limited to six underhanded strikes of the whip, and are allowed two strikes before pausing to allow for a response. Stewards have fined jockeys a total of $28,300 since the new rules were implemented, primarily for using the whip more than six times.

In a unanimous vote, the CHRB approved a rule establishing a minimum fine of $500 and possible three-day suspension for excessive whip use. The current rule calls for a maximum fine of $1,000, along with the possible three-day suspension.

The CHRB's new penalty rule will have a 45-day public comment period before coming back for final approval.

“I think this protects the domestic rider,” said CHRB Chairman Gregory Ferraro. “Our concern had been that riders, particularly from foreign countries, could violate the rule and a $500 fine and three-day suspension would be meaningless to them. This allows for considerably more punishment for egregious violations and makes it more fair to our domestic riding colony.”

“This addresses the concern that I had right along, that has been any excessive whipping and putting in-state riders at a disadvantage,” echoed commissioner Oscar Gonzalez. “I believe this measure addresses any concerns I had. I'm hoping this is something we can adopt and have in place by Breeders' Cup.”