A 13-time riding champion at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., Joe Bravo has shifted his tack to Southern California in time for Friday's opening of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club meeting in Del Mar, Calif. For the first time in years, he'll be watching Haskell Stakes day at Monmouth Park from afar because of his unwillingness to ride under the rules imposed by the New Jersey Racing Commission banning the whip for anything other than safety.
Before getting legged up for his West Coast invasion, Bravo joined publisher Ray Paulick and bloodstock editor Joe Nevills in this week's edition of the Friday Show to talk about what it takes to win at the track where he earned the moniker “Jersey Joe.” For example, Bravo said the speed of the racetrack and front-end or closing biases at Monmouth can be influenced by the tides of the nearby Atlantic Ocean. He suggests watching the color of the dirt track to see if it gets darker or lighter during a day's races as the tides go in or out. That can change how races are run, Bravo said.
Bravo is enthusiastic for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, a national oversight body for medication and safety regulations in horse racing scheduled to be in place in July 2022. Bravo is looking to HISA to bring uniform national rules for use of the riding crop – currently prohibited in New Jersey for anything other than safety – and medication.
Watch this week's show, presented by Monmouth Park, below:
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