California considers rule proposing more liberal use of whip

12:49 PM ET

ARCADIA, Calif. — California Thoroughbred jockeys will be allowed to use their whips with greater frequency in the last sixteenth of a mile under a proposed rule introduced at Thursday’s California Horse Racing Board meeting.

The board voted 4-3 to amend a nearly year-old rule and allow riders to use whips up to four times in succession in the final sixteenth of a mile before pausing to allow their mounts to respond. Current rules state that riders are allowed three strikes during a race before they must pause to allow horses to respond.

Violations have resulted in fines and occasional suspensions since the rule was enacted last July.

The proposed rule will be submitted for a public comment period before being addressed again by the board later this year. Any potential change is unlikely until late this year.

Chairman Chuck Winner was joined by commissioners Madeline Auerbach, Alex Solis, and Richard Rosenberg in approving the rule change. Commissioners George Krikorian, Jesse Choper, and Steve Beneto voted against the change.

Prior to the vote, the issue was the subject of a spirited debate among commissions and racing officials regarding horse and rider safety issues. The proposed rule change originated from discussions with the Jockeys’ Guild, according to Winner.

Darrell Haire of the Jockeys’ Guild asked the board to approve the change.

“Four times in the last sixteenth of a mile is reasonable,” he said. “We’re asking for …

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