One Week
In one week the new Ontario Racing Commission rules that eliminate one handed whipping will be enacted. As of September 1, 2009 we have virtually guaranteed that our horses are protected from being hurt or injured by a whip in a race. The same rules apply to all drivers, trainers, and grooms while the horse is on racetrack property.
As society progresses we have become a kinder, gentler, more thoughtful, and more humane society. This is a monumental event in harness racing history. Possibly the most significant and positive change in decades.
There are so many people out there who are to be commended for helping to make this positive change happen. All the support, opinions, blogs, letters to the ORC, and comments on the various websites were instrumental in making this come about. Support from SHOP and the harness racing publications was particularly helpful. The subject was also covered on the internet by various other equine publications and websites.
The internet has proven to be a fantastic medium for conducting debate, discussion, and for expressing opinions. All interested people can get involved and be heard.
The ORC is also to be commended on their thorough and open minded handling of this issue. It took a little over one year from the first meeting on the subject to the implementation of the new rules. I must admit that I was a little frustrated along the way because things weren't moving along as quickly as I would have liked but in the end I realize that the commission took this issue very seriously and gave everyone involved ample time to give opinions, arguments, and comments before they gave their final recommendations and decisions. I believe that in the end the arguments for eliminating one-handed whipping were overwhelmingly compelling.
Is this change morally correct? - Yes.
Is this change a tremendous thing for our horses? - Yes.
Is this change politically correct? - Yes, and politically correct is a GOOD thing for us and a very important point that we must always be thoughtful of.
Our prosperity in racing today in Ontario relies almost exclusively on the whims and decisions of our politicians. How we are perceived by our politicians and the voters that they represent is very important.
Is this change economically correct? - Let's hope so. Attendance at the racetracks has been on a steady decline for years. In order to have people betting on our horses, we need to get new customers to the track. We need to entertain them and get them interested in the sport of harness racing. The racetracks have identified that whipping has been a problem for us, and the extreme whipping has been a barrier to attracting new fans. We have now dealt with the problem so hopefully in the months and years to come, the tracks can come up with new and innovative promotions to attract these new fans that we so desperately need.
In the short term I suppose it is possible that a few hard core gamblers could modify their betting while they analyze the situation, but I think it would be minimal and short-lived if it did happen at all. The idea that someone would not bet on horses because the driver could not beat on them is hard to imagine and revolting to think about especially when drivers are still allowed to use whips for a reasonable and adequate amount of urging.
I believe most race fans and people who bet on the races appreciate what these horses are doing out there and like the rest of us in the racing business have a great respect for these special animals.
Under the new rules, the drivers can still use the whip for an adequate amount of urging to get a horse to go his maximum speed. A driver might say "if only I could have reached up and peeled my horse one, I could have won", but this is a moot point now because the other driver cant 'reach up and peel his horse one' either so everything is equal. I predict that we will see a continuation of horses getting new speed records, and stakes and track records will continue to be broken.
The one-handed slashing that has been allowed up until now was sometimes caused by desperation, anger, or frustration, but mostly by the sheer excitement of the race to the finish line and a strong desire to win. It was just a bad and sometimes brutal habit that we tolerated simply because it was allowed and because we have always done it that way. Each race now will be won by the best horse, the luckiest horse, or the best driven horse, but never by the horse that was pounded on the most. If you had a chance to watch the two year old stake races this past Saturday night at Mohawk and The Meadowlands, you would see that there is an exceptional group of colts and fillies this year going unbelievable speeds. Because of the money they are racing for, these youngsters are being pushed extremely hard. Too many of them are feeling the sting of the whip coming to the wire at this early age. It is sometimes tough to watch, especially when these youngsters are trying so hard. This new whipping rule will be especially beneficial for the two year olds.
It will be interesting to see how the drivers respond to these new changes. They benefit the most financially from horse racing and should do everything they can to make this work and put on a classy show. They are professionals and my guess is that they will adapt very quickly. Our top drivers are very gifted athletes and I am sure that the truly great ones will remain at the top and the new rising stars will continue to move up the rankings. Great drivers have an exceptional set of hands. When they jump onto the race bike and take hold of the lines you can sense the electricity that is generated between horse and driver. These drivers make some kind of a magical connection with the horse between their hands and the horse's mouth. It will be fascinating to watch these horses and drivers working together as a team to get to the wire first. The race fans will appreciate this and the gamblers will very quickly figure out who the successful drivers are. I believe that the top drivers of today will stay on top without the one-handed whipping, but time will tell.
I feel confident that this change will be a success just as it has been in Europe for decades. The ORC is doing an exceptional and very thorough job of educating the drivers, judges, and everyone involved, about the new rules. The judges are clear on what is required and are committed to enforcing the new rules.
I hope any bitterness that anyone has over these new rules will fade away in time. Even the people who were against the change for one reason or another, care about horses and can appreciate what a tremendous thing this is for our horses. This is something we should all feel very good about.
As John Campbell has said, "A year after the rule is changed - whipping will be a non issue."
We as an industry have shown that we can deal with our problems and make changes. We are very fortunate that racing in Ontario is very good today and our political relationships are good. Purses in slot-advantaged jurisdictions have never been better and we have to work to keep it that way.
I hope we can put this whipping issue behind us now, feel good about what we have done for our horses, and be thankful for the prosperity that our present circumstances in Ontario are giving us.
Jack why would you race your
Jack why would you race your horses in Lexington? They could be whipped there or do you instruct the driver not to carry one?
C.Renon
Monday night was the last
Monday night was the last bet i will make on ontario racing
Jack, The rule change is a
Jack,
The rule change is a joke. The lack of enforcement of the rule prior to the change was the issue, not the rule itself.
The only change in the last 25 years that truly increased safety for the drivers and the horses was removing the hub rail. Now that is an effective change.
Funny thing happened on the
Funny thing happened on the Weekend at Mohawk for the Metro pace... Sportswriter won in record time without one hand whipping and on Sundays card,so did Senor Glide in a division of the Champlain Stakes win in record breaking time!!! Doesn't anyone find that interesting??
It seems that Jody Jamieson has adapt very well to the new rule as well. Winning the She's a great lady pace, with a smart steer!!! maybe now he'll save some of that hard earned money instead of being fine and suspended....So far, Mr Darling vision has been nothing but positive and only time will tell...Hmmm, I guess you don't need one handed whipping to make them go faster after all...
In reply to Funny thing happened on the by Mass Rossi
Another funny thing happened
Another funny thing happened on the weekend a driver got over eager with the whip on the race favorite won the race and was placed last! Now someone please tell me how this is going to increase interest or handle? I can understand trying to protect the horses and i am all for it, but why punish the betting public its not there fault that the driver got carried away with the whip! They are trying to attract new interest in the sport and they think this is the way to do it, in my opinion all this will do is sour the loyal customers that the sport has. How about looking into trainers that improve a horse 3 or 4 sec after having them for a week or upgrading the track Woodstock and Dresden are dumps! Just my opinion but maybe the reason the handle's down has nothing to do with whipping, it has to do with placing the bettor first not trying to stick it to them whenever possible!
This is my third attempt at
This is my third attempt at commenting on this particular blog. Hopefully I can restrain myself enough to be published - we'll see.
Firstly, What influence does Jack Darling have and on who? NEXT...
I have the survey ready to go, I just need approval and funding - then we can find out what poeple on the tarmack think of our sport and why it is not the #1 spectator sport in N.A. anymore. Ask any regular harness player why our industry is not as big as the "runners" They won't say - "Well I would bet $400 a night but those damn drivers just hit their horse too hard down the stretch, so I only bet $100 a night." The answer you'll likely get is - "Harness driver/trainers tend to manipulate the outcome of races for their own personal/financial gain." Even our commentators on national television inadvertently elude to this from time to time. Now take the new whipping rules; how easy is it now going to be to keep a horse in a maiden for the entire meet? I trust that the ORC is ready to do the appropriate follow-up research in order to track the state of our attendance and handle as these new rules are realized by the public. Are they willing to reinstate the old rules if handle and attendance don't significantly change or god forbid, fall off somewhat? I sincerely hope (seriously I do), that these changes vault our handle 20% and cause the CBC to carry two or three of our big events nationally. Jack and the other whipping boys will then be the "bomb".
Gavin Christie
I was at Rideau Carleton on
I was at Rideau Carleton on Sunday and got there in time to watch the 2 1/2 and 5 mile races at Quebec. I have never been so sickened in all my life. I believe there was a total of 9 horses that did not finish between the 2 races.
The winner of the 5 mile race stopped immediately after the wire. I was sure the horse was having a heart atttack. The driver got off the bike and people started running out. They unhooked the bike and the horse had to literally be dragged to the winner's circle. I have never seen anything like it before.
Your main concern is you can't give a horse a couple of slaps with the whip.
I remember as a kid being at Greenwood and the place would be completely jam-packed, as was Yonkers, Roosevelt etc. You know as well as I drivers could wallop a horse pretty good.
The problem with our industry in my opinion is: A) There is only so much money to go around and B) You need go no further than your own living room to gamble ie: poker, pro-line, football, boxing, where people pummell their oponents (that's another story)
We need gimmicks and entertainment to get our people back.
I do agree with having a whipping policy. As I have said before I think it has gone way overboard. Especially when the policy is being created by people who have never sat behind a horse or would know which end to feed.
Gord Brown
I must agree with Ted and
I must agree with Ted and his comments somewhat. I am not against the new rule but I still believe you will see a decline in our bet. I just dont think it had to come to this extreme... Why is it we did not see the betting numbers well publicized from when WEG, London, and Ottawa had their 2 week trials...? From what I understand it is because the handle was down around a 30% average so I've been told... I understand your points Jack but with someone with such a strong opinion like yours on how much the horses will benefit I find myself wondering why with such compassion for the welfare of the horse's why is it that you admittedly raced a champion horse earlier this year while she was not totally sound...? If thats what your ultimately concerned about... I'm not alone in feeling that you are telling the industry that we should be doing it your was because your right and that should go unquestioned. Time will tell but I see this being a bad thing for the handle and places such as the Meadowlands simulcast (where these rules don't exist) bets will go up from Canadian bettors money. As for now we'll all watch and follow these upcoming rules.
I believe the comment made
I believe the comment made by Carolyn Rae is totally valid and I also would like to hear what the people who were so convinced that this new rule is the best for racing have to say. As for Mr Darling, I remember in the 70's you driving a few horses and as I remember you carried a whip and also used it. You also used drivers in todays market that "urged" your horses with a whip. Why not utilize drivers that share in your belief and do not participate in "one hand whipping". It seems that some want there cake and they want to eat it too.
I hope some one on tne
I hope some one on tne inside will endeavor to get this improvement well publicised
to the Media at large; (ie Sports editors with the press and with voice media)
There are thousands of ex-fans who might come back for a second look when given
some positive news that life has improved for the "competitors". Just telling
the "fifty visit a year punter" is not the focus by any stretch.
During a recent discussion
During a recent discussion of this up-coming rule change, the point was made: If we are indeed truly concerned about the horse, and the cruelty of "one-handed" whipping, then the next step should be to eliminate the simulcast of races from tracks still permitting "one-handed" whipping. If we are truly concerned about Political and Public perception, it seems hypocritical to enforce such a rule so strongly here in Ontario, yet still continue to show (and allow betting on) horse races both Standardbred and Thoroughbred from tracks where there is no rule governing the urging of the horses. Are we willing to take this one step further, and eliminate the simulcast of races from tracks where "one handed" whipping is still an acceptable practice?
I would be interested in any comments/arguments pro or con for this suggestion.
Once again, the whipping
Once again, the whipping issue and the change that is coming in Ontario is very well stated and explained by Mr. Darling. I would like to thank him for using his knowledge and influence to help put this new program in place. The horses will be better off for it and, hopefully, the public will see that there are people in the industry who really do care about the welfare of these magnificent, hard-working animals that deserve nothing but the best. Let's hope that the ORC will work as diligently to enforce the rules as they now stand to protect the health and welfare of the horses. Everything else is secondary to that cause.