ARB ALLOWS JOCKEYS TO EXERCISE WHIP DISCRETION OVER FINAL 100M OF RACE

THE Australian Racing Board has again changed the rules relating to whip use and will permit jockeys to exercise individual discretion in the final 100m of a race on a trial basis.

Under the new arrangements announced today a jockey will not be allowed prior to the 100m mark to use the whip in a forehand manner in consecutive strides or on more than five occasions.

The Board announced in a Media Release from Chief Executive Andrew Harding that the changes had been approved as a trial which would run to February 1, 2010.

During this trial period stewards have been instructed to closely police the manner in which this discretion is exercised, with appropriate penalties imposed for deliberate overuse.

The Board also stressed that riders are at all times required to comply with those provisions of the rule stipulating that the whip may not be used when the horse is not in contention, is not responding, or is positioned such that use of the whip is otherwise unnecessary.So far as the horse being in contention is concerned the stewards have been instructed that only dividend-bearing placings are to be considered.

The date of effect of these changes has been set at next Saturday, September 26 2009.

The effect of these changes is to further reduce the total level of potential use of the Whip, while at the same time addressing issues of concern that have been identified by participant groups.

The ARB announced that the decisions had been arrived at after receiving recommendations made by a panel established to consider (1) Penalties that should be imposed on riders found to have breached AR.137A, and (2) The perceived integrity concerns associated with either unfair advantage or under-performance.

The panel consisted of: Michael Duffy, Philip Bentley, Peter V’Landys, Bob Pearson,  Andrew Harding. They received technical advice from James Muddoch, Des Gleeson, Ray Murrihy, Ross Inglis and Greg Childs.

The Board has adopted a revised set of penalty guidelines that address the concernsraised by the Australian Jockeys’ Association at the same time as ensuring that sufficient deterrents exists to ensure maximum compliance with the new whip restrictions.

So far as the potential integrity issues that have been raised the Board has announced two measures:

RIGHT OF PROTEST

A right of protest will be incorporated within the Australian Rules of Racingallowing the connections of a horse to lodge an objection where they believe that an unfair advantage has been gained through breach of the whip rules.

WHIP USE OVER ENTIRE COURSE OF RACE

The ARB has reviewed the limits on whip use over the course of a race introduced on  August 1 2009, and determined that these are to be reduced.

At least now the dust appears to be settled on the whip use controversy. In another form it blanketed parts of eastern Australia today forcing the cancellation of race meetings at Canterbury and Eagle Farm.