N.J. appellate court denies Jockeys' Guild's bid for stay on whip rule

A New Jersey Appellate Court judge on Monday denied a motion by The Jockeys’ Guild to stop New Jersey from enforcing a strict new whip-use rule prior to the guild’s lawsuit over the rule being heard.

The Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey denied the request for preliminary injunction five months after the New Jersey Racing Commission denied a similar request by the guild for a stay of the regulation. In a statement, the Jockeys’ Guild said that it hopes it prevails on the merits of its appeal when the case is ultimately heard.

“We hoped the court would stay the regulation while our appeal is being considered, particularly because a stay would have maintained the status quo,” said Terry Meyocks, the president and chief executive officer of the guild.

The New Jersey Racing Commission approved the new rule’s implementation late last year, after Thoroughbred racing had already concluded in the state for 2020. The new rule, which prohibits the use of the whip “except for reasons of safety,” will begin to be enforced with the start of Thoroughbred racing at Monmouth Park on May 28, barring any other court ruling.

New Jersey’s whip rule is the strictest of a raft of new regulations passed by states last year limiting the use of the whip.