thoroughbred | Horse Racing Free Tips

Riding Crop Will Be ‘Theme’ Of New York Commission’s October Meeting

With announcements made by several major racing jurisdictions about the riding crop this month, the New York State Gaming Commission said in its Monday meeting that it will hear industry participants' input on the issue next month, reports the Thoroughbred Daily News.

“I think we all agree that this is a matter that needs to be brought to closure sooner rather than later. Some of us contend that it's been out there too long,” said chairman Barry Sample. “The theme of the October meeting is going to be the crop.”

It will take another meeting beyond October to vote on any proposed whip rule the NYSGC may write, and if passed, the rule must be published in the New York State Register and be sent out for general public comment. The NYSGC will then take a final vote, so implementation would be in 2021 at the earliest.

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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No Changes At The Top of NTRA Thoroughbred Racing Polls

A quiet weekend in both the handicap and sophomore ranks resulted in relatively little movement in the latest National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top Thoroughbred Poll and NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll.

Champion Maximum Security continues to head up the Top Thoroughbred Poll ahead of his expected run in the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita Park on September 26. The 4-year-old son of New Year's Day earned 26 first-place votes and 349 points this week and will bring a six-race win streak into Saturday's Awesome Again.

Multiple Grade 1 winner Vekoma remains in second with 9 first-place votes and 272 points followed by fellow top-level victor Tom's d'Etat (3 first-place votes, 240 points) in third.

Monomoy Girl, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2018, holds in fourth with 209 points while Grade 1 winner Improbable (193 points) ranks fifth. By My Standards, who captured the Grade 2 Alysheba Stakes on the Kentucky Oaks undercard, remains sixth with 159 points followed by champion Midnight Bisou (153 points) and Tiz the Law (134). Kentucky Derby winner Authentic (122 points) and multiple Grade 1 winner Rushing Fall (85) round out the top 10.

Authentic looms a potential favorite for the October 3 Preakness Stakes on the heels of his gate-to-wire triumph in the 10-furlong classic. The son of Into Mischief garnered 23 first-place votes and 365 points to once again lead the Top Three-Year-Old Poll and recently returned the worktab with a bullet five-furlong breeze at Churchill Downs on September 19.

Belmont and Travers Stakes winner Tiz the Law ranks second with 15 first-place votes and 357 points. The son of Constitution remains under consideration for the Preakness Stakes but has not posted a workout since finishing as the runner-up behind Authentic in the September 5 Kentucky Derby.

Blue Grass Stakes winner Art Collector is confirmed to be Preakness bound and remains third with 272 points. Grade 1 winner Honor A. P., who was retired to stand stud at Lane's End Farm last week, is fourth with 191 points followed by Kentucky Oaks runner-up Swiss Skydiver (161 points) and
Thousand Words (146).

Kentucky Oaks heroine Shedaresthedevil sits seventh with 107 points, ahead of beaten Oaks favorite Gamine (90 points). Max Player (83 points) and King Guillermo (74) complete the top 10.

The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport's most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in both the Top Three-Year-Old Poll and the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through the conclusion of the Breeders' Cup in November.

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ARCI Preparing Analysis Of New Integrity Bill; Breeders To Pay For Anti-Doping, Medication Enforcement

The newly proposed legislation, the “Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act,” by Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell will, for the first time, put the Thoroughbred breeding industry under racing regulation and require breeders help pay for the sport's anti-doping and medication enforcement programs.

An analysis is being prepared on behalf of the Association of Racing Commissioners International so the group can prepare for a “smooth transition” should the measure be enacted.

In December, 2017 the ARCI called for closing the “regulatory gap” to better protect horses by requiring oversight – publicly or privately – of those segments of the industry that do not fall under the authority of a state racing commission. Such expansion of regulatory authority at the state or federal level would require legislation and industry support, which did not materialize.

The McConnell bill falls short of what the ARCI had envisioned, but does require Breeders register with the newly formed NGO (non-governmental organization) and to be considered as “covered persons” eligible for assessments to help pay for the proposed Authority and its Enforcement Agency. Costs associated with this program have yet to be disclosed but are expected to be in excess of the total funds now being paid by all the state agency programs currently in existence. Costs assessed by the new Authority may depend on the extent to which the existing state based enforcement infrastructure is used.

The bill also requires the disclosure of horses that have been treated with bisphosphonate drugs.

In July, 2019, the ARCI formally requested The Jockey Club institute a private program of equine welfare regulation using their existing authority and special status in all state racing rulebooks. No federal or state legislation would be required for such a program.

The ARCI advocated for horses not yet under the jurisdiction of a racing commission to require submission of all veterinary records and perform suitability reviews that could be used to better identify horses in need of increased monitoring as a safeguard. “The brutal reality is that some horses needs to be monitored more aggressively and this can only be done by an entity with existing authority to do so or with one specifically empowered by statute,” Martin said, noting that RCI continues to assess whether the McConnell bill will accomplish this.

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California’s More Restrictive Whip Rules Go Into Effect On Oct. 1

A more restrictive rule governing use of the riding crop will go into effect Oct. 1 for all Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, and mixed-breed races and also during training in California. The amended rule is designed to further protect horses without compromising the safety of horses and riders.

The key revisions to California Horse Racing Board Rule 1688 include:

Riders cannot use the crop more than six times during a race, excluding showing or waiving the crop or tapping the horse on the shoulder.
Riders cannot use the crop more than two times in succession (within the six-time limit) without giving the horse a chance to respond before using the crop again.
The crop must be used in an underhanded position with the crop always at or below the shoulder level of the jockey.
During training the crop can only be used for the safety of horse or rider.
Absent mitigating circumstances, which includes but is not limited to use of the riding crop for the safety of horse and rider, if a jockey or exercise rider rides in a manner contrary to this rule, the stewards shall impose a maximum fine of $1,000 and a minimum suspension of three days. In trial heats, the suspension shall include the subsequent related stakes race.
The jockey or exercise rider shall not be penalized if, in the opinion of the stewards, the use of the crop was necessary for the safety of the horse or rider.

In order to ease the transition, stewards will be meeting with the jockey colonies at the respective tracks to explain the rule and to answer questions. In addition, the CHRB is recommending to the Boards of Stewards that they should for a reasonable period of time use the “mitigating circumstances” language to employ the current penalty structure – lighter penalties — in order to make the transition to the amended rule less disruptive to jockeys, in particular, as well as all stakeholders and the wagering public generally.

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