Why can’t jockeys count as well when prizemoney goes into the millions?
For those who missed it, the world’s best jockey James McDonald, exceeded his whip privileges winning the Inglis Millennium on Fireball.
He will have to pay a fine of $20,000 and be sidelined for 10 days after he exceeded the totality of whip use by two strikes, with 20 in total, and also broke the rule of only five strikes before 100m, hitting the colt nine times to get it to produce the winning surge.
That is a penalty for those who say the whip rules aren’t enforced. A penalty McDonald was shocked by.
Watching the race, it was not obvious that McDonald had gone over. He probably knew, but it took a count by stewards to establish that, which is done on the first four home in every race in Sydney.
There have been four fines of between $400 and $500 in Sydney for whip breaches in the past month, but they were lower end breaches and not on winners and not in a $2 million race.
The rush to criticise the way the rule is enforced is flabbergasting. It is necessary.
It can be debated whether the penalty is sufficient to deter. It could cost McDonald a Group 1 victory in a couple of weeks.
Should we go to disqualification for whip breaches, which would go against the way the Australian rules are written?
In the 21st century, we can’t get rid of the whip rules, if anything, the use should be limited further.
The way the rules are written allows jockeys every chance to use the whip in the way they are accustomed.
We need to go to black-and-white rules like England, where there is a limit of six strikes in flat races.
Jockeys must let the horse respond before striking it again and if they go four over the limit it means disqualification.
Australian punters might not be able to cope with that culture change.
Randwick to get a power station if development gets go-ahead
It was not a new idea to build units at Randwick as revealed by Chris Barrett in the Sydney Morning Herald this week, but it might be more palatable in 2026.
The initial push for such a development was around 15 years ago when the Queen Elizabeth II Stand was redeveloped, and was rejected because it was on crown land.
The housing crisis saw the Rosehill sale furore, a $5 billion deal, eventually voted down by members.
It might help get the Randwick deal approved.
Randwick might be an even better deal for racing and, more importantly, a great one for the NSW Government.
The club wouldn’t lose much by building the units and would get a financial windfall.
It would relocate the stables to a different part of the racing precinct, in the back straight where the hills of fill are dumped, from the 1200m start right up the back straight. It could actually increase the horse capacity at the inner-city track.
The development would also see a power substation be built at Randwick, probably in the back corner, near the Doncaster start.
It is desperately needed to service the stressed power grid of the surrounding suburbs and would increase the ability of the club to have different hospitality areas for big race days.
There are benefits for every level of government, the local community and the club if it gets the go-ahead.
Class wins and suggest there’s more to come
There are much better races in line for Observer, Tom Kitten and Light Infantry Man than they won at Caulfield on Saturday.
All three carried the no. 1 saddlecloth and in truth were classes above their rivals. Each of them started at backable prices for punters.
Victoria Derby winner, Observer’s, Autumn Stakes win had a bit of disdain about it at a trip that is well short of his best. Tom Kitten and Light Infantry Man had to fight for their winner’s cheque and will only get better as races extend in trip.
They could all meet in an All-Star Mile or Australian Cup, where the three-year-old could prove the best of them all.
It’s what days like Saturday are about, it is a glimpse of potential for the autumn.
The three Melbourne winners were topline but the best of the day was Tempted in the Eskimo Prince Stakes at Randwick.
The Everest runner-up reflected her odds-on starting price with the ease of the win and is ready to win her first Group 1 of many in the Surround Stakes.
Strongly named Zhang a star in the making
Great mates Tyler Schiller, Zac Lloyd and Dylan Gibbons have a greyhound racing syndicate and might have a star on their hands with Zhang, a debut winner at The Gardens on Saturday night.
The chaser is named after Yulong boss Yuesheng Zhang because Kurrinda Bloodstock’s Sean Driver and fellow hoop Ash Morgan joined in the ownership.
“They had the Private Harry connection, so I thought Zhang would be a good name for our dog. He wins plenty of good races,” Schiller said.
“I did it as a little bit of joke when those boys joined in, but it is a good strong name when you hear it called.”
Pardon?
A Randwick trainer is spending as much time practising the pronunciation of the names of horses from a prominent owner as training them. The trainer has Peter Harvey tones in his reports but can’t get the names of his owner’s horses right.
