California Racing is dead to me. New whip rule final straw
 

After Friday in Ca you will see a push by the Industry to tell you it makes no difference and that you're not seeing what you're really seeing in some races.

Sometimes a whip is needed for urging, sometimes not at all.

Committed to Stop betting Ca Racing after 40 years of playing it on a regular basis. Will do same with any other jurisdiction adopting these rules. Final straw for me.

GL




https://www.drf.com/news/california-...es-willing-try

Excerpt

“They’re very strong,” Smith said of racehorses. “There are so many variables and so many reasons you need the riding crop. When you ask them to run, there is an art to it on how you hold a horse together and keep them balanced.

“Underhand is so difficult,” Smith added. “Some can do it okay. I can do it just okay right-handed, but not at all left. And I’m completely left-handed. It will be a big trial, and we’ll see what we can do.”

Well for the video review players....will MAKE for SOME GREAT betting opportunities for the FIRST month....

1st...knowing which horses will respond to the whip and those that won't...of course the backside people will know as well....but 90% won't....plus the whales/computer guys won't ...those that just on the odds...

2nd....ditto....for knowing like what Smith posted....some jocks are going to MOVE up big time....some will fall back because they're NOT physical enough...

Adversity creates opportunity.....so for a small window in time....they're will be chance to hammer away against some big time favorites....if you DO THE video homework...

Perhaps one of the clocker reports will be all-over this as well....

No love from me for the whipper guys and stick jockeys. I'll go with the finesse riders.

A good jockey is like a good chess player. It's the ability to know, even by listening to a horse's respiration, how much fuel they have left in the tank, what the other riders/horses are doing, predict then react.

At the top? A rider’s ability to communicate with their horse......an empathic jockey.


"Urging" doesn't include flogging them 30 times like Espinoza did to AP, or John Velazquez (handed a suspension by Royal Ascot stewards for over-whipping as he would have been given anywhere in Europe or Hong Kong) when he knew it was against the rules.......all while the world watches.

A tap as a reminder to change leads or using a whip in an emergency/dangerous situation is one thing-----whipping a horse over 5-7 times when they are already giving their all....not so much.


My education includes a good friend who rides and jumps "Native American style".... bareback and no reins/bridle. She knows how to get a horse to do what she wants and taught me what finesse is, and about maintaining an even and constant contact with the horse under you.


And others who think diffrently will pick up that slack because they are on the verge of walking away from the status quo that U.S. racing insists upon.

I guess you can say that means there's something for everyone. :)


If U.S. horse racing does the right things, we may actually get to witness who the best trainers are (sans druggers and cheaters) and who the best jockeys are (sans whips, less whips).

I don't think handle will be affected much. Last week on twitter someone thought the rule was already in place and put up a poll as to whether or not they noticed a difference under the new rules. Remarkably about 70 people voted and they were split on a rule that hadn't been put in place yet.

I know Woodbine implemented this rule last year, do they still ride using those guidelines?

I’m not gonna lie. I’ll place a few bets on big days. But it’s been on life support to me for years. I remember staying after at Saratoga to bet Del Mar. That’s been a waste of time for a while. Didn’t even bother when the tracks were open.

To be fair some of their problems have migrated to many other tracks

It's amazing how difficult it is to find this information in a simple search (not sarcasm), but eventually I found an article from February 2020 that said that handle went up 6.5% after they restricted whip use and they were planning to continue the rule in 2020.

I have never been to Woodbine but apparently the track is very close to where spectators stand to the point where they can "hear" the whip on the horse, so that may have influenced the decision?

What track can't you hear the crack of the whip while standing on the apron near the rail?

What track can you stand on the apron near the rail anymore? :rolleyes:

Fonner Park for one.

The best seats.

The Jockeys at Woodbine all know they can make their best effort at a placing with the rule that California currently has (3 strikes) until tomorrow. But because of pressure from Woodbine they are afraid to speak out. There is heavy political pressure on tracks and jurisdictions to eliminate whips.

The other day Finley wrote an article where he cited Woodbine as being fine with everything. That is completely false and anyone who knows Terry Meyocks of the Jockeys Guild can call him and ask him. When a journalist or someone they don't know asks them on the record they will say it's all good. Off the record they will say the opposite cuz they have to. And that is the state of the racing media.

Most days, I can hear the whip from the boxes up high at Arlington

Like anything, the good bettors, riders, and trainers will adapt. Those that can’t will make their way down the class ladder of tracks. Horses are pack animals, we will find out very quick which ones don’t want to be at the front of the pack. Unfortunately for the quantitative crowd, you can’t put a figure on this qualitative variable

Kent Desormeaux shouldn't have a problem, if they let him ride.