As I watched the G1 Florida Derby, one thing, in particular, struck me—the use of the whip. Now I know there is a great deal of controversy over whips and their use. As a trainer of racehorses for over two decades, I have seen and heard a lot of views about whipping a horse.
First, let me make it clear, I am not a great fan of the whip. I have seen horses come back after a race with noticeable whip marks. I have seen horses popping their tails with each strike of the whip. And I have seen horses drift in or out to get away from the whip.
Married to a jockey, Jim Riley, I was educated about whip use first hand. Jim said only one in five horses were what the jockey's called "a good whip horse." The rest were, at best, distracted by it. If a horse has his ears pinned, he's trying.
Another thing, all whips, at least back in the day, were not created the same. There were long whippy sticks with big poppers at the end that were more about the sound that they made than anything else. Then there were the whips that they called "clubs," and those were the ones that were so stiff that they hurt, leaving welts behind. I hope the latter type of whip has been outlawed long ago.
Still, there are sound reasons for a jockey to carry a whip. Safety being number one on the list. A horse that is lugging out, or in, and not responding to his rider may impede another horse, ultimately resulting in a collision or severe accident. Waving the whip where the horse can see it is often enough of a deterrent to correct his course. Other times a tap on the shoulder will do the trick. I could go on about why a whip is a necessary accessory, but I won't because that is not the point of this spiel. What is, is overenthusiastic whip use, and why the subject is being addressed at a national level. Don't be fooled. This isn't for the first time, either. Inappropriate whip use has long been a favorite rule for the Stewards to enforce, enthusiastically assigning various penalties to those they deem to be offenders.
So, was Known Agenda getting away from the whip? I don't know, maybe. Or perhaps he was just getting tired after a long race. Still, it was an opportunity for me to opine about the whole whip controversy that I have been reading so much about.
On another note, Essential Quality, what about that race? He looked terrific up to the point he started to make his move and had to be checked. While he saved ground on the inside, he was getting sandblasted the whole way. He jogged out a bit as he came out of the turn for home, and it didn't look like it was at his rider's urging. Still, it didn't get him out of the dirt flying in his face. He looked flat coming down the lane and, in particular, pulling up after the race. There was just something about him that looked like a horse who knew he'd been beaten. And trust me, they know.
Having run horses on both sandy and muddy tracks, I've seen what their eyes look like if they are stuck behind horses. After the Kentucky Derby, Casual Lies eyes looked like peeled grapes. You could see the abrasions on the surface. That has got to hurt. I know how I would feel if I got stuck in a sandstorm.
I'll reserve judgment until we see what kind of information comes out about the horses in the days to come.
As always, these are just my opinions. Feel free to comment if you have something to say. Discussion is a good step toward understanding.
Shelley Lee Riley
Be sure to check out my books, in particular my memoir about the horse with two names. Casual Lies - A Triple Crown Adventure. Trust me when I say, that within its pages, I had no trouble poking fun at myself.
