Racing Australia remains firm on whip rule despite Caloundra protest controversy

RACING Australia is standing firm on its whip rule despite Saturday’s historic decision at Caloundra to uphold the first protest in the ­country based on a whip ­infringement.

RACING Australia is standing firm on its whip rule despite the controversy surrounding Saturday’s historic decision by stewards at Caloundra to uphold the first protest in the ­country based on a whip ­infringement.

Initially, Rosella and Stonecast dead-heated at Caloundra, but Stonecast was awarded the race outright after Rosella’s rider Taylor Williams used the whip three more times than permitted prior to the 100m point.

Saturday’s protest came after Stonecast’s trainer Jack Duncan and jockey Sarah Eilbeck asked to view the photo finish.

During this time, steward Daniel Aurisch noted that Williams had exceeded the whip limitations and alerted Duncan and Eilbeck, after which they lodged the ­objection.

Aurisch, who was on the panel with Neil Boyle and chairman Paul Gillard, said he would have lodged the objection himself if connections didn’t and the panel was unanimous in upholding the protest.

“We had to weigh up the circumstances. We had one rider obeying the rules and the other breaking it,” Aurisch said.

“If there was a margin between them, the result may well have been different, but being a dead-heat, it gave us no room to move.

“If we didn’t use the rule in this case, we never would.”

Racing Australia chief executive Peter McGauren backed the decision to uphold the protest and said there would be “no revisiting” of the rules.

“It’s like a road rule you sometimes don’t like,” McGauren said.

Sarah Eilbeck and Stonecast (No. 5) with Taylor Williams aboard Rosella return to scale. Picture: Trackside Photography

“Even though it might seem like only a minor infringement, you have to accept when you break the rules.”

Again at the Gold Coast on Saturday, stewards handed out $1600 in fines to four different jockeys.

Ryan Wiggins, who contributed $800 to that figure for two infringements, said the new rules were akin to “texting while driving”.

Champion jockey Damien Oliver has said several times in recent weeks “the stupid whip rules” were to blame for his mount being beaten.

As a neutral observer, top trainer Rob Heathcote was incensed by Saturday’s decision and said he would back jockeys to take strike action over the rule he believes is “absurd”.

“In the cauldron of battle, jockeys are expected to concentrate on counting up until a certain point in a race? It’s a ludicrous rule,” Heathcote said.

“Common sense should prevail. Does this mean every time we have a close finish we are headed to a protest situation? It’s an embarrassment to our industry that we have got to this stage. We are pandering to people who don’t understand our industry.”

Originally published as Racing Australia remains firm on whip rule despite Caloundra protest controversy