Jockeys' Guild criticizes approved whip rules in Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved a set of rules limiting the use of the whip in races at state racetracks, but the rules were immediately criticized as insufficient by officials of the organization that represents riders nationwide, dashing hopes that the sport had found common ground on a complex and controversial issue that has been a focal point of anti-racing groups.

The rules approved by the commission would allow jockeys to strike a horse six times after the first furlong in a race, and it was presented on Tuesday to the commission as a compromise between the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, a group of influential racing companies with a major presence in Kentucky, and The Jockeys’ Guild, which represents jockeys and exercise riders nationwide. It was approved unanimously on a voice vote conducted via teleconference due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, following the meeting, John Velazquez, the Hall of Fame rider who is co-chairman of the guild, said the guild was opposed to the rules as passed, contending that the limitation on the number of strikes would put riders in jeopardy due to the unpredictable nature of horses and the dynamics of a race.

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Velazquez gave an example of having to use the whip three times going around the turn while in a crowded field in order to keep a horse under control, and then being limited in the stretch if a horse becomes erratic.

“We can’t be going into the stretch worried about whether we can control a horse if we need to,” Velazquez said. “I can’t be ready to do something I can’t control.”

The rules passed by the commission state that a jockey can use the whip over and above the six-strike maximum “to avoid a dangerous situation that may harm another rider or horse,” with the determination left to the discretion of the stewards.

The rules were proposed and passed in a matter of only 28 hours, with two committees of the KHRC approving the proposed rules for consideration after a two-hour debate Monday. The full KHRC met the next day and swiftly adopted the rules without any discussion of the merits of the new regulations. Velazquez and other guild officials said that they were unable to offer comment on the rules prior to the full commission vote.

The rules will need to be posted for public comment before being submitted to various legislative committees for full approval later this year, a process that is expected to take six months or more. As a result, it is likely that the guild will be able to present its concerns during that process.

The use of the whip in racing has been a prominent target of animal-welfare and animal-rights organizations, especially in California, where the state’s regulatory body, the California Horse Racing Board, passed the most restrictive whip-use rules in the United States on Thursday after a six-hour debate. The guild has publicly protested those regulations as well, calling them “unsafe” and a threat “to the integrity of the sport.”

The Thoroughbred Safety Coalition has identified regulations restricting use of the whip as one of its priorities among more than a dozen issues it is seeking to address. The group was formed late last year following intense criticism of the sport sparked by a spate of deaths at Santa Anita racetrack early in 2019, and its members include Churchill Downs Inc., Keeneland, and the Breeders’ Cup, all based in Kentucky.