Horse racing pundits are questioning whether rules around excessive whip use are having the desired effect, and whether breaching the rules should be enough to have a result overturned. Top Aussie jockey Chad Schofield has been banned for a combined total of 29 meetings for careless riding and excessive whip use on Ceolwulf in the Champions Mile at Flemington.
Schofield rode Ceolwulf to a famous victory on Saturday, pipping Pericles by a nose in a photo finish in the $3 million race. But the triumph was marred by a suspension and fine for the jockey in the aftermath.
Chad Schofield has been banned for breaching whip rules on Ceolwulf. Image: Getty
Schofield copped an 18-meeting ban for careless riding near the 1400m mark after he “permitted his mount to shift in when insufficiently clear of Pericles”. He was also hit with an 11-meeting suspension and $35,000 fine for excessive whip use.
Jockeys are only allowed to use the whip five times in the final 100 metres of a race, but Racing Victoria stewards said he used it nine times. Schofield will serve his two bans cumulatively from November 16 to December 16.
Why wasn’t the result overturned?
In the aftermath, questions are being asked as to whether connections of Pericles had grounds to lodge a protest. Some suggested Ceolwulf only won because it was spurred on by the extra whip use, and many thought the result should have been overturned.
Jason Richardson of Channel 7 wrote on social media: “‘Chad Schofield also pled guilty to breaching whip rules on No.2 Ceolwulf. He has been suspended for 11 race meetings and fined $35,000’. Pocket talk. Good chat.”
Another pundit wrote: “So Ceolwulf was whipped more than permitted. Yet the punters, connections, all lose on the other runners.” Another said: “So if found guilty of over use of the whip and winning by a nose, is that not an opportunity to overturn the result?” While a fourth added: “Race should be overturned. Not fair on the jockey that follows the rules.”
Chad Schofield and Ceolwulf beat Ben Melham and Pericles in a photo finish. (Photo by Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images)
Calls for change to whip rules in horse racing
Richardson and others are also asking the question about what the whip rules are actually in place for. Many see the rule as a token move to appease opponents of horse racing, and there are calls for whip use to be banned altogether.
Richardson wrote: “It’s either a rule or not a rule. I personally don’t like it, as it’s merely a perception issue … but if it exists, then enforce it.”
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Writing for the ‘Betsy’ website, leading pundit Paul Tatnell declared the rules around whip use are “broken” and simply “glorified virtue signalling”. He wrote on Sunday: “They need to be either changed or scrapped. They are there to appease a section of the community that doesn’t like the optics of the padded crop whacking the stars of our sport. Which is fine and understandable, but the current framework is dumb.
“If the whip gave Schofield an advantage, and he won the race by such a narrow margin, how is that fair? Are the rules to protect racing’s image or to help the integrity of an outcome? The rules want the best of both worlds – to show the world racing cares about the horses but protect the integrity of the sport. They do neither.”
