A cigarette paper separated Gala Queen and Nearing Liberty in the fourth at Flemington on Sunday.
It was a gripping contest: Nearing Liberty looked gone after Gala Queen loomed up and headed him, but under Liam Riordan he clawed back late, only to miss in the tightest of photos. The judge took an eternity to confirm the number, and eventually Gala Queen was declared the winner.
The margin was so fine that Nearing Liberty’s trainer, Matthew Brown, even asked to view the official image before accepting the verdict. But here’s the real twist: Gala Queen’s rider, Blake Shinn, had broken the whip rules.
Shinn was found to have struck his mount seven times before the 100m mark – two more than the permitted five. For that, he copped a seven-meeting suspension and a $700 fine. This isn’t about the penalty – say what you will on that – but there’s an agreed framework in place.
Yet, despite the margin being a literal bee’s dick, no protest was lodged.
If you believe the whip has no impact, then why use it? If you believe it does – and racing’s regulators clearly do – then breaking it surely means an unfair advantage was gained.
History tells us whip protests can succeed. Shinn himself lost the race on My Yankee Girl at Flemington in December 2022 when stewards upheld an objection for excessive whip use. In 2016, Taylor Williams lost a Sunshine Coast race in similar fashion after using the whip eight times before the 100m mark (three more than permitted).
Both stewards on the day and connections of horses impacted can lodge a protest on the ground of excessive whip use. The common theme with both is the margin was a dead heat.
Betsy spoke to Racing Victoria who confirmed stewards were aware of Shinn’s whip breach prior to the declaration of correct weight but decided not to initiate a protest.
So why, on Sunday, when the margin was so fine, did whip use suddenly count for nothing? If overuse is enough to be convinced a dead heat protest can be upheld, why wouldn’t the barest of margins at least become a dead heat? Was it deemed two strikes didn’t make a difference?
Did Nearing Liberty’s camp miss their chance to fire in an objection?
Either way, the current whip rules leave racing in a muddle. On one hand, jockeys are penalised heavily for breaches. On the other, punters and connections are left with the impression that the rule has no bearing on results. Either that, or punters are just left to feel dudded. That’s the very definition of an uneven playing field.
And in a sport that lives and dies on integrity, that simply isn’t good enough.
For the record, I had something small on Gala Queen, so certainly not talking through my kick. It’s only a matter of time before the whip rule rears its head in a major race.
WATCH: The concluding stages of Sunday’s race
Flemington Race 4 | Gala Queen
Gala Queen gets it by the barest of margins for @blake_shinn and @pstokesracing – adding to the Sunday Sesh pot! 🎉
📺 Ch. 78/68, Foxtel 529, Kayo or via our app
REPLAYS: https://t.co/ZIa4a02wC0 pic.twitter.com/PNb8TxAb51— Racing.com (@Racing) September 21, 2025
