BALLINA JOCKEYS WON FRIENDS WITH THEIR CUP DAY DECISION

JOCKEYS at the BALLINA CUP meeeting in New South Wales got a rousing roar of approval when they agreed to ride out the biggest meeting of the year before joining colleagues around the country in strike action over the new whip rules.

A roar went up from the crowd of 6,000, enjoying a half-day public holiday in Grafton, when it was announced over the public address system that the Cup would still be run.

A REFUSAL by the Australian Racing Board to accept some change to the new rules governing whip use prompted jockeys on the eastern seaboard to respond with immediate strike action today.

Jockeys riding at Ballarat, Hawkesbury and Ipswich held urgent meetings and decided to take industrial action as a mark of protest. Final races in each venue had to be abandoned.

The ARB met with industry participants, racing officials and the RSPCA today but refused requests to allow unlimited whip use over the final 100m of a race.

The Australian Jockeys’ Association has organized a national phone hook-up late this afternoon to determine future protest action.

An ARM media release stated:

‘The ARB today considered the results to date of the sweeping changes to the whip rules that came into effect at the start of August.

In addition to extensive commentary that has taken place both within the industry and the wider community the Board heard at first hand from:

• Leading riders Damien Oliver and Corey Brown
• Paul Innes, CEO Australian Jockeys Association
• Des O’Keeffe, General Manager Australian Jockeys Association
• Colin Alderson, Chairman Australian Trainers Association
• John Alducci, CEO Australian Trainers Association
• The Hon Peter McGauran, CEO Thoroughbred Breeders Australia
• Heather Neil, CEO RSPCA Australia
• Ray Murrihy, Chairman National Stewards Group

ARB chairman, Bob Bentley, said it was clear both from the way in which jockeys had ridden in the five weeks since the new rules became effective, and the comments expressed at its meeting today, that the industry had achieved a fundamental change in its attitudes and practices.

“Many so called experts have criticized the changes made by the ARB but the fact is that the industry has come light years ahead on this issue. This is a good thing because it really needed to, whether or not that is palatable to hear.”

“It should not be forgotten that 10 months ago all of the groups who now say that
padded whips are working well were vehemently opposed to them. It is a credit to the
industry that it has come this far in such a short space of time. The incidents of breaches of the new rules is less than one per cent and this is a incontrovertible evidence that the overwhelming majority of riders have adapted to them.”

The ARB has assessed each of the arguments advised for and against varying the current rules.

“Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) is always a serious matter but in this instance there is absolutely no evidence that supports the argument that riders or horses have been placed at risk as a consequence of the new whip rules. The statistics show that if anything safety levels have been enhanced, with incidents of interference in the straight declining markedly,” Bentley said.

“The needs and wants of punters and owners are also a crucial consideration and the ARB has given careful consideration to the impact of the new rules on these groups.

“Ultimately the Australian Racing Board’s obligation is to do what is in the best interests of the industry, now and in the future, not what is popular. In this instance the Board does not believe that there is evidence that warrants backtracking on the changes that came into effect on 1st August, 2009. This decision was arrived at unanimously.”

Bentley said the ARB had always intended to conduct a full review of the new whip
rules in February 2010 and remained committed to this.

Not everyone was happy about the jockeys’ strike action with Victorian trainer Rick Hore-Lacy reacting angrily after the stopwork at Ballarat. “It's a bastard-act,” he said.