Will Woodbine=S Whip Experiment Become the New
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2019 WILL WOODBINE=S WHIP RATAJKOWSKI STEPS INTO OPEN COMPANY IN FALLS CITY EXPERIMENT BECOME THE Gary Broad=s New York-bred mare Ratajkowski (Drosselmeyer), who has spent all six starts of her career thus NEW NORMAL? far facing fellow Empire-breds, will take her first crack against open company in Thursday=s GII Falls City H. at Churchill Downs. Making her belated debut with a third in a Belmont sprint May 25, the 5-year-old graduated next out in the slop there June 20 before just getting run down when second stretching out to two turns July 25 at Saratoga. Narrowly prevailing at the same trip Aug. 16 at the Spa, the chestnut romped by 10 1/2 lengths in a state-bred allowance Sept. 11 at Belmont before repeating with a game score in the Empire Distaff H., her stakes bow, Oct. 19 at Big Sandy. Cont. p5 IN TDN EUROPE TODAY FRESHMAN SIRES IN DEMAND AT TATTERSALS Woodbine | Michael Burns First-season sires proved the hot commodity at the first of by Bill Finley four sessions of the Tattersalls December Foal sale. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. While several major racetracks in the U.S. continue to debate what is the best set of rules to put in place regarding what jockeys can and cannot do to encourage their horses, Woodbine has embarked on an experiment that limits what jockeys can do with their whips and may be seen as a blueprint for the rest of the industry to follow. Starting Oct. 18, experimental rules, which will be in place up to closing day, Dec. 15, were put in place that allow only for underhanded whipping. The riders are no longer allowed to cock their whips and reach back and strike their mounts. Nor can they strike the horse in the belly or flank area. Whether or not the rule will become permanent in 2020 will be decided by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), but with the experiment so far not encountering any serious problems, it is likely that the new regulations are here to stay. The Woodbine experiment is part of an effort throughout North America to change the perception of racing and to show the public, animal rights activists and politicians that the sport believes the safety of the animal is a top priority and is intent on making substantive changes. Cont. p3 PUBLISHER & CEO Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor Thursday, November 28, 2019 Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN Associate Editors Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Christina Bossinakis @CBossTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN News and Features Editor In Memoriam: Ben Massam (1988-2019) ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistant/Dir. Of Distribution Rachel McCaffrey Advertising Assistant Amie Morosco You are invited. MidAtlantic Horse Rescue is hosting a Holiday Open House on Saturday, December 7 at 560 Budds Landing Rd, Warwick, MD. Shop at the “name your Photographer/Photo Editor Sarah K. 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Director of IT & Accounting Ray Villa [email protected] TODAY’S GRADED STAKES [email protected] EST Race Click for TV 3:24p Falls City H.-GII, CD TJCIS PPs TVG WORLDWIDE INFORMATION 4:22p Cardinal S.-GIII, CD TJCIS PPs TVG International Editor Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN [email protected] European Editor Emma Berry [email protected] Associate International Editor Heather Anderson @HLAndersonTDN Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing Sean Cronin & Tom Frary [email protected] 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 9 • THETDN.COM THURSDAY • NOVEMBER 28, 2019 Woodbine cont. from p1 Woodbine | Michael Burns The recently formed Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, which includes most of the major tracks in the U.S., has also declared its intentions to deal with the whip issue, but has yet to spell out specifics, only saying that it will look to limit crop use. Woodbine isn=t tipping its hand when it comes to what recommendations the track is likely to make to the AGCO regarding whipping rules for the 2020 meet. AWhat we need to do is take a deep dive and have a chance to review all the data from the pilot,@ Woodbine VP of Thoroughbred Racing Jonathan Zammit said. AThen, it=s just sitting down with stakeholders, the commission, the vets, the horsemen, the jockeys, to see where the commission=s head is at moving forward. It=s a bit premature at this point to comment on what direction this might go.@ The data available so far has not revealed anything that suggests the experiment is not working. There have been no apparent problems with safety during the races and the handle has remained steady, showing that the bettors haven=t adjusted their wagering habits during the experiment. AFrom a track operator=s perspective, we have a sample size, but not a full sample size,@ Zammit said. AIt has been a change and we realize how big a change this has been for the jockeys and we=re very thankful they are participating and allowing us to evaluate this pilot program. We=re seeing no significant changes in the behavior of our patrons or on the handle on our races. Right now, nothing major has popped out at us.@ A sampling of opinions from Woodbine-based jockeys reveals a colony that is not in favor of the new rules. AIt=s awkward and a lot of people aren=t happy with it, but we know we have to deal with it,@ jockey Gary Boulanger said. AIt=s a very awkward thing for people who have been riding for a while. TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 9 • THETDN.COM THURSDAY • NOVEMBER 28, 2019 AIt makes you think, >OK, I can=t cock my stick, I can=t overhand education. Public perception and public opinion seem to be the strike.= You have to be aware of that and that puts you in an driving force behind these discussions, and yet education of the uncomfortable position. It=s not what these horses have been public has been inadequate. trained and taught and they=re creatures of habit. They=ve been Thoroughbred racing has made many changes over many taught that when you reach back and hit them they=re supposed years, from updated rules of racing to modern equipment to go forward.@ changes, and yet we are still unable to show the public how Said Woodbine jockey David Moran: AObviously, for the senior conscientious we are towards the welfare of our equine riders it=s a big change. Personally, I think there is a safety factor athletes.@ involved and that it=s not a great idea. It looks like everywhere in While the jockeys may not be happy, it doesn=t appear that the world is changing, but with this type of change, I don=t see they are ready to get into a big fight with Woodbine or the the difference between hitting backhanded versus forehanded. I AGCO over this issue. don=t think, so far as public perception goes, it actually AThe riders are really trying to accommodate the new rule,@ accomplishes a lot. All the riders, we=re working with the said Irwin Driedger, the executive director of the Jockeys= committee to try to come up with a better solution than the rule Benefit Association of Canada. AThey=re not real happy about it they have right now.@ because it definitely is a big change. For some, they=ve been Jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson argues that the whip issue is part doing it one way for 20 years and when you change something of a bigger problem, racing=s inability to get across to the public up on them like this it=s not easy. A lot depends on whether this that virtually everyone in the sport always tries to do their best is the way everybody will be doing it. If everybody is doing it this when it comes to the horse. way, then that=s fine. If we are the only ones doing it I don=t AI am not in a position to speak for all of the jocks at Woodbine know if that=s the way to go. This needs to be uniform and at this point my personal opinion is a tad reserved as we are throughout North America rather than everybody doing their midway through the trial that is a collaborative effort of the own thing.@ horseman, AGCO and Woodbine,@ she said. AI will say, though, That may happen, as it would come as no surprise if the that I feel strongly that of significant importance is public Thoroughbred Safety Coalition made a recommendation that all 2020 STUD FEE: $175,000 LFSN CURLIN HAD MORE MILLION DOLLAR YEARLINGS THAN ANY OTHER STALLION IN 2019 Keeneland September Yearling $1,050,000 www.hillndalefarms.com LGB, LLC 2019 2020 STUD FEE: $35,000 LFSN CHAMPION SON OF CHAMPION SIRE CURLIN www.hillndalefarms.com LGB, LLC 2019 / Photo by Z TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 5 OF 9 • THETDN.COM THURSDAY • NOVEMBER 28, 2019 U.S.