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NJ Harness Driver Fined $5,000, Suspended 20 Days for Whipping Prior to 3-horse Spill

A harness driver in New Jersey–where whipping a horse to make it run faster is prohibited in Thoroughbred racing but permitted with restrictions in Standardbred races–has been fined $5,000 and suspended 20 days for whipping his pacer so indiscriminately during a race last month that the judges deemed his actions caused a three-horse spill that injured one rival horse so severely it had to be euthanized.

According to a ruling posted on the New Jersey Racing Commission (NJRC) website, driver Joe Bongiorno was in the bike behind Pat Stanley N in the seventh race on May 29 at the Meadowlands when he “failed to keep the lines reasonably taut during the race [and] displayed exaggerated movement with the whip, using more than wrist action and raising his whipping arm to a level above shoulder height.

“Mr. Bongiorno continued to use the whip to urge his horse after the horse was no longer responding,” the ruling continued. “The culmination of these actions, each of which is a violation of [New Jersey's whipping rules] placed Mr. Bongiorno in a position of being unable to respond when [his] horse stumbled and fell, unseating Mr. Bongiorno as well as two other drivers.”

According to a post-accident Twitter posting by the track, one of the horses affected by Bongiorno's actions had to be euthanized. The two others suffered scrapes, but walked back to the paddock. US Trotting News reported Bongiorno himself was evaluated at a local hospital but reportedly had no fractures.

When crafting the state's new whip rules last year, the NJRC explained in a statement why there would be distinctions between breeds:

“Jockeys who ride horses have more methods to encourage and control horses than do drivers, as the jockey is in close proximity to the horse and a jockey's hands and feet are in contact with the horses. Drivers, who have no contact with the horse, have no method to encourage a horse other than with the use of the whip. As a result, the Commission does not believe it can eliminate the use of the whip entirely as the Commission is proposing for Thoroughbred racing.”

The commission did, however, prohibit shoulder and elbow action in Standardbred races.

It was not immediately clear if Bongiorno is appealing the ruling.

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‘Fair Compromise’: With Jockeys’ Guild On Board, Kentucky Commission Approves New Whip Rules

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission gave unanimous approval Tuesday to the new whip rules agreed upon by the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition and The Jockeys' Guild last month, reports the Daily Racing Form.

Kentucky's Legislative Research Commission is expected to recommend the new whip rules for approval later this year, so they could go into effect in late 2021.

The new rules are as follows:

A limit on overhanded strikes to a total of six throughout the race. Riders are required to give the horse a chance to respond after two. Overhanded uses may not include the rider raising the whip above the helmet.
Underhanded or backhanded use may begin in the final 3/8 of a mile. These uses will not count toward the six strike limit.
Showing the horse the whip or tapping the horse on the shoulder will remain acceptable if both hands are on the reins
Stewards can impose either a $500 minimum fine or a three-day minimum suspension. If the violation is egregious and intentional, they could impose both. Mitigating factors could include the rider's history with whip violations, and the number and types of use beyond the above restrictions

“We know this rule is a fair compromise and in the best interests of our industry,” Terry Meyocks, the chief executive officer of The Jockeys' Guild, told the KHRC after Tuesday's vote.

Letter To The Editor: Move By The Jockeys’ Guild At Monmouth Dangerous, Unfair To Riders

The Jockeys' Guild decision to cancel insurance for jockeys who ride in races at Monmouth Park is vindictive and dangerous.

To proclaim Monmouth's new whip policy “extremely dangerous and is creating an even greater risk to both the equine and human athletes, including the potential for injury and/or loss of life to the jockeys and the horses” is in my opinion an extreme over-dramatization. But to characterize the jockeys' situation as “extremely dangerous” and at the same time refuse to insure them is a new level of histrionics and reveals the Jockeys' Guild to be an organization of bad faith.

As a long-time fan of Thoroughbred racing, I frankly fail to see how not being allowed to whip a horse to make it perform is “dangerous.” The rule does not prohibit the use of the whip if needed to avoid a dangerous situation within a race.

It comes down to an unwillingness on the part of the Jockeys' Guild to adapt to the new realities of public perception of animal welfare. Their punitive and backward approach will cause harm to the very group whose interests they claim to represent.

—Holly Brunner, Thoroughbred owner and fan

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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Monmouth Handle Down; Are Whips To Blame?

Because of the pandemic in 2020, six-race cards on Fridays and a run of rainy weather to start this year's meet, apples-to-apples, year-over-year handle comparisons aren't easy to come by at Monmouth. But all indications are that the Jersey Shore track has gotten off to a poor start, and that raises an important question–are bettors staying away because of the new rules that prohibit whipping?

Sunday's card was the first of the meet where all the scheduled races were run on the turf and there was not an abundance of scratches. Despite those favorable conditions, Monmouth handled only $3,333,043 Sunday. There were 11 races and 86 betting interests. Because of COVID-19, there was no racing on that date in 2020. In 2019, $4,317,739 was wagered on a 12-race card that consisted of 94 betting interests. Based on the raw, all-sources total handle for the days, handle in 2021 was off by 22.8% from 2019. Per-race betting fell from $359,811 in 2019 to $303,003 this year, a difference of 15.8%.

“I'm betting a little bit less on Monmouth, about 25% less than normal,” said Jersey-based horseplayer Philip Miller. “There are a number of factors. There have been small fields and the jockey colony isn't great, though it got better once Paco [Lopez] started riding. But, yes, the whips have something to do with it. Everybody is trying to go to the front because they think closers are at a disadvantage without the whip. I don't like that. There are some horses that have a good turn of foot and they don't need the whip. But there are others that really need to be ridden hard and they aren't going to run as well without the whip.”

Dennis Drazin, who heads the management company that operates the track, said it was too early to reach any conclusions regarding how the whip ban may be affecting handle.

“I think the handle numbers were mainly a reflection of the weather,” he said in an email. “Too much rain. Inability to utilize the turf. It's premature to discuss to what extent the new whip rule may effect handle.”

Sunday's numbers continued a troubling pattern for Monmouth, which has struggled throughout the meet to keep up with past years when it comes to handle.

On the second day of the meet and the first day of the long Memorial Day weekend, Monmouth handled $2,941,677 on a 12-race card. On the same date in 2019, $5,891,308 was bet on a 13-race card. While the races were washed off the turf throughout the first week of Monmouth racing this year, it seems like a stretch to suggest that the lack of grass racing and a few small fields were solely responsible for a decline in handle of nearly $3 million.

On the following day, a Sunday, $2,645,700 was wagered on an 11-race card, $1,278,795 less than what was bet on the same date in 2019. On Memorial Day, Monmouth ran nine races and handled $2,434,241. On the Memorial Day 2019 card, there were 12 races and a handle of $3,628,955.

As was the case during the opening week, the Monmouth races were dominated by favorites. Fifteen of the 28 races run last weekend were won by the favorites and, for the meet, favorites are 29-for-55 (50.8%).

Veteran Jose C. Ferrer leads all riders with nine wins, but his lead probably won't hold up for long. Paco Lopez made his first Monmouth appearance of the year on Saturday and has already won six races from 17 mounts. Joe Bravo, who has won 13 Monmouth riding titles, has refused to ride at the meet because of the whip issue and has said that he will ride at the upcoming Del Mar meet.

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