WHAT’S the point of having a Rule if stewards aren’t prepared to implement it for fear of rocking the racing boat?
Their controversial decision to reject a protest by the runner-up arguing that the jockey of the winner in a Group race at Flemington on Saturday blatantly broke the whip rules provides more questions than answers.
Most of those who have watched the finish – from the ‘experts’ to the ‘punting tragics’ – agree that Stewards should have reversed the result in the G3 Aurie’s Star declaring if Daniel Moor had not breached the Whip Rules to such a degree on Queensland raider, Boomtown Boss, runner-up Royal Insignia would have beaten him home.
SADLY, their lack of intestinal fortitude in doing the right thing by racing gives the anti-whip lobby a ‘free hit’ and has been seen as an Open Invitation to jockeys, especially in big Stakes races, to blatantly ignore the Rules knowing full well that they will not lose the race but simply cop the penalty.
The Graeme Begg stable and apprentice jockey Luke Cartwright lodged the protest against winning rider Daniel Moor (on Boomtown Boss from the Tony Gollan stable) who used the persuader 11 times prior to the last 100m, five above the limit.
But the Victorian Stewards’ Panel could not be satisfied the breach affected the result. They had to be kidding. And to add hypocrisy to their decision subsequently suspended Moor for 10 meetings for the breach and fined him $3000.
Does this send a message to all jockeys that they can continue to breach the Whip Rules knowing full well that they will not lose the race? Of course it does and it’s not good enough.
As expected there were those in the mainstream racing media defending the Stewards’ decision and declaring they were in a ‘no-win’ situation. That’s garbage of course.
The Rules are there to be imposed. Granted these are currently under review by an international panel that includes Kim Kelly who recently walked away from Racing Queensland because of integrity concerns in the new Government’s plans for the sport.
Here’s hoping they get things sorted as the current implementation (or lack of it) is not a good look for racing.
