Top jockey Jim Byrne says racing stewards should uphold more protests involving whip rule
TOP jockey Jim Byrne says racing stewards need to get serious and uphold more protests involving the controversial whip rule.
TOP jockey Jim Byrne says racing stewards need to get serious and uphold more protests involving the controversial whip rule.
Byrne isn’t a fan of the rule but says while it is in place, both jockeys and stewards should treat it seriously.
He was at the centre of controversy in the Doomben stewards’ room on Saturday when stewards dismissed his whip protest against rival jockey Jeff Lloyd.
Byrne, last season’s champion Brisbane jockey, ran second on Upstart Pride but lodged an objection claiming Lloyd got an unfair advantage by whipping his mount three times more than allowable.
The only upheld Queensland whip protest involved dead-heaters on the Sunshine Coast in March.
“I just don’t think stewards are serious about upholding protests if there is a breach of the whip rule,” Byrne said.
“It has become a joke that any jockey can gain an unfair advantage by hitting their mount too much and the stewards simply aren’t upholding protests.
“If they have a rule in place, and you can prove a jockey is in breach of that rule and that affected the result, then they simply must uphold protests.
“Otherwise it just isn’t fair.
“Owners and trainers can walk away from a race knowing that their jockey abided by the whip rules, but was beaten unfairly by another jockey who didn’t abide by those same rules.
“They (stewards) have got to police it more and they have to start upholding whip protests.
“Otherwise it becomes a bit of a farce that there is a rule in place that is being broken, but there is no course of action for the beaten connections.”
The whip rules have become a nightmare for all involved, with trainer Rob Heathcote claiming they were a farce during the whip protest hearing at Doomben.
The Doomben protest was dismissed and Lloyd escaped with a $300 fine but in Sydney apprentice hoop James Innes was not so lucky and copped a two-week ban for his winning ride on Thunder Road.
Innes was found guilty of using the whip five times more than permitted aboard Thunder Road in the Highway Handicap.
In Brisbane, Byrne is great mates with premiership leader Lloyd but is resolute in his belief that rules must be rules.
Byrne has no problem with Lloyd, who copped his first whip fine, but says whip rule enforcement must be harsher.
“A few hundred bucks is hardly a deterrent,” Byrne said.
“If they have a rule where a jockey is in breach, and you can prove that horse has gained an unfair advantage by overuse of the whip, then they have to look at overturning the result.”
Former Racing NSW chairman of stewards Ray Murrihy has previously indicated he would like to see more flexibility in the application of the whip rule.
Originally published as Top jockey Jim Byrne says racing stewards should uphold more protests involving whip rule
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