In the letters column of The Racing Post today, Mr. McEwan of Manchester makes a very good argument for horses to be disqualified if their riders have committed the sort of offence that got Shane Foley an eleven-day ban at Leopardstown on Saturday. It was not that Foley's offence altered the chances of one horse in the race but his actions caused three horses to be impeded, with Oisin Murphy claiming his horse, A Boy Named Susie, would have won without the interference and last season's Epsom Derby winner Lambourn being nearly put through the rail.
I made the call after James Doyle was not given even a caution after causing Into The Black and P.J. McDonald to all but fall at the end of the race, that if the horse had fallen and either the horse or the jockey suffered injury or worse, the stewards would doubtless have made Doyle culpable for the incident. The fall, if it had happened, would have been accidental but an accidental incident can have the same dire consequences as a dangerous riding incident and I remain convinced that Doyle should have received, at the very least, a 3-day ban. After watching a replay of the race, I cannot understand why the stewards considered Tom Marquand's whip coming into contact with Into The Black's head contributed in any way to the incident.
My problem is as much about the vague line in defintion between accidental and dangerous as it is about the contrary nature of the penalties imposed by different stewards. On first viewing, I did not think the Foley incident was in any way the same as the Doyle incident. Yet on second and third viewing I am now of the opinion that it was reckless riding and far worse than what occurred at Doncaster. But if the stewards at Leopardstown were right in giving Foley an eleven-day ban, I cannot see that the Doncaster stewards were correct in not applying any penalty to Doyle. Also, and this is more important than my opinion, and very much the point Mr. McEwan was emphasising, if the defining judgement on whether disqualification should be imposed or not is how far a horse wins by, then there will never be justice for the connections of horses that had their chances of glory wiped-out earlier in the race due to fowl, reckless, accidental or dangerous riding. Hotazhell should have been disqualified as it would have sent a clear message to jockeys that the consequences for knocking another runner out of a race will be as much imposed on the owner trainer as on him or her.
On the topic of the rules of racing: Khadijah Mellah, now an amateur rider, rode a perfectly nice race at Salisbury last week, finishing fourth aboard a horse trained by Eve Johnson Houghton. Unfortunantly, she weighed in half-a-pound light, though it may have been one and a half-pound light, and was not only disqualified from fourth place but also received a 3-day ban. The reason given for the ban was that Khadijah, understandably nervous before the race, had a pee after weighing out and did not replace the liquid by drinking water. I thought this ban was petty, especially as no one benefitted or were defrauded by Khadijah's error. Also, she is an amateur of little experience and as such should have been awarded a little leniency as it was her first offence. Luckily for the sport, Khadijah is a determined young lady and will not, it seems, allow this type of thoughtless nonsense interupt her progress in the amateur ranks. She is an asset to the sport and though no one should be favoured above others, she has a smile that would melt even Jack Dee's heart and her very presence on a racecourse is a marketing image that would take the sport to every inner city in the country.
When I started this website nearly ten-years ago I could not have envisaged that so many of my personal wants would be met. Nor could I have imagined the rocky road the sport must now travel in order to survive. The latest kick in the nether regions has come from Trip Advisor who believe horse racing does not fit their criteria on animal welfare. I would suggest that people should contact the company (U.S. owned) to lodge your concern at their disciminatory policy - they have no such qualms about bull-fighting, it seems - and to refrain from doing business with the company until they have a change of mind.
Ten-years ago, though I hoped, and prayed a little, it was Disney dreaming to think that a female jockey would win the Grand National and Cheltenham Gold Cup and yet Rachel Blackmore achieved those goals. Bryony Frost became the first female jockey to win a Grade 1 at the Cheltenham Festival and went on to add a King George and a Tingle Creek to her c.v.. And now Saffie Osborne has won a classic on the flat. I have championed the notion that our sport could attract a larger audience and more coverage by mainstream media if more female riders were involved in the races that people outside of our sport recognise. It is not that I am prejudiced against male jockeys. I recognise that it is unlikely we will ever have a female jockey who can be considered the equal of Ryan Moore and others. It is simply that female jockeys bring a beaming smile to the winners' circle after a big win, with their love for the horse clealy visible for all to see. I ask you, when did you last see Ryan Moore kiss the muzzle of a horse that has just won him a Group 1 or a classic? The sport has an image problem; female jockeys can be an antidote to that particular problem.