The Friday Show Presented By Woodbine: Riding Crop Talk With Mike Smith

Mike Smith calls it his “last-ditch effort” to protect his fellow riders and the horses on which the sport depends. As a Hall of Famer, the all-time leading Breeders' Cup jockey and co-chair of the Jockeys' Guild, Smith, 55, is speaking out about restrictions on the use of the riding crop he believes are putting jockeys and horses at increased risk.

Smith has written to the California Horse Racing Board urging its members to reconsider changes recently put in place. And this week he joins publisher Ray Paulick and editor-in-chief Natalie Voss on the Friday Show to elaborate on those concerns.

“I'm all for change, and I'm all for helping,” Smith said of the need for some riding crop reforms. “I want to make sure the horse is as safe as possible, because the only time I'm safe is if the horse is safe. If I put that horse in any danger, guess who's next? I hit the ground right after he does. That's my life that's out there, not the spectators and not anyone else that's not on that horse's back.”

And that's the dilemma horse racing faces. Can the sport successfully tackle public perception issues related to the riding crop while still giving riders the tool they say they need to remain safe and to give horse owners and gamblers a fair and honest run for their money?

“As long as we can show that we're doing the best that we can, that we're keeping (the horses) safe, that we're not harming them, that it's protection for us as well, that's all we can do,” Smith said.

Watch this week's Friday Show below and let us know what you think on this subject.

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The Friday Show Presented By Woodbine: Highs, Lows And Takeaways From 2020 Triple Crown

The Paulick Report editorial team – publisher Ray Paulick, editor-in-chief Natalie Voss, news editor Chelsea Hackbarth and bloodstock editor Joe Nevills – takes a look back at this strangest of Triple Crowns in this week's edition of the Friday Show.

From the minute Churchill Downs officials announced in mid-March that the Kentucky Derby would be postponed until Sept. 5 because of the coronavirus pandemic, we knew this year was going to be different. I don't think any of us knew how different.

Kicking off with a distance-shortened Belmont Stakes June 20 and ending with a Preakness on Oct. 3 that may be remembered as one of the most exciting renewals in recent history, the Triple Crown had its share of highs … and lows. We may have learned a few things – some takeaways – from this year as well.

Watch this week's Friday Show below and let us know what your favorite memories were from the 2020 Triple Crown.

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The Friday Show Presented By Woodbine: Coming Soon – Horseracing Integrity And Safety Authority

Earlier this week, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act sailed through the U.S. House of Representatives with bipartisan support and is awaiting action by the Senate, whose majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, is co-sponsor along with Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.The House version of the bill was co-sponsored by Reps. Andy Barr of Kentucky and Paul Tonko of New York.

McConnell has said he intends to get the legislation passed before the end of the year.

If that happens, what is the timeline for implementation of a new national Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority the legislation would create to oversee all of the medication and safety policies for Thoroughbred racing in the U.S.? Who would comprise the governing body and how will those individuals be chosen? How will medication policy enforcement and drug testing overseen by the United States Anti-Doping Agency differ from the current methods employed by state racing commissions?

In this week's edition of the Friday Show, publisher Ray Paulick and editor in chief Natalie Voss try to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about this major development in the horse racing world.

Watch the Friday Show below:

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The Friday Show Presented By Woodbine: Historical Setback In Kentucky?

The shockwaves felt on Thursday when the Kentucky Supreme Court unanimously ruled against the claim that certain historical horse racing (HHR) machines constitute pari-mutuel wagering were felt all the way from the state capitol in Frankfort to financial markets on Wall Street.

In the immediate aftermath of the ruling – in a case brought to the courts by the anti-gambling Family Foundation – Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and state Senate majority floor leader Damon Thayer spoke out in support of historical horse racing wagering that has helped lift Kentucky purses to among the best in the nation.

Share prices in Churchill Downs Inc. – whose Derby City Gaming facility in Louisville generated the largest market share of the $2.2 billion wagered on historical racing in the last fiscal year – took a nearly 10% fall after the news broke. CDI officials issued a statement suggesting legislative relief may be needed in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling.

In this week's edition of the Friday Show, publisher Ray Paulick and editor-in-chief Natalie Voss assess what may happen next with historical horse racing in Kentucky.

Watch the Friday Show below.

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