What we're talking about

cherie alexander on Video blog - Melbourne Storm Peter The Storm didn't just break the salary cap theblew it apart.To all those who have continued to saythat they were ... more
cherie alexander on Never a dead rubber Great game..for a DeadRubber.The Blues reallytoook it to the"goodguys",but Qld won as Qld often do...in the last 4mins.So ... more
Chris on Never a dead rubber Yeah, Peter!They should also play the NRL Grand Final outside of Sydney. If there's new management coming into the game, ... more
cherie alexander on Never a dead rubber Hear hear Peter...it's nota dead rubber but a chancefor the"good guys to get awhite wash or The Blues toget one back.I can't ... more
Robbie on What if we had City v Country? Looks good! And let's face it, the more rugby league we have, the better. But I agree with ando, let's help keep rugby ... more
Darren khan on Why the Queensland Cup is great I'd love to see a station like 4BC cover the QLD Cup. Local stations in Perth and Adelaide cover the local Aussie Rules ... more
cherie alexander on NRL Predicitions Hi Peter,I wonder how Dean Ritchie and Anthony Whatmough feel today about the"old" N0.6 who Captains The Maroons. The scarey ... more
Terry on Why the Queensland Cup is great Peter I would go but my team the mighty Wests Panthers don't exist anymore however I am a regular watcher on the ABC. I am ... more
Brian on Why the Queensland Cup is great Great article Peter, the QRL is the life blood of the NRL so it should be promoted as that. Go along to any intrust game on ... more
stu on Why the Queensland Cup is great sad to see that 4BC are totally focused on the NRL. a fleeting mention is made from time to time on other codes but the ... more
Trevor Kelso on Why the Queensland Cup is great That is the best article I have read in a long while regarding the Greatest Game of All. I love my local footy, but because ... more
Dave Heras on Why the Queensland Cup is great Great blog there Peter. I will never forgive myself for drifting away from the BRL comp in the early 90's and supporting the ... more
Matt on Why the Queensland Cup is great Here here Peter. I have been going along to most Souths Logan home games for the last couple of years and it is great, I can ... more
Grace on Blame the officials, not Thurston… I was at the game also. I haven't see a crowd so angry with the officials except maybe after Steve Price was knocked out at ... more
Daniel on They Think We Are Fools I agree.. also we miss out on live national news and late night talkback radio in summer. Its just so backward.. for ... more
denise on Blame the officials, not Thurston… what an absolute joke you are Peter. JT is a disgrace to the game. I have a 9 year old grandson who idolizes the NRL players ... more
Goldo6681 on Blame the officials, not Thurston… Pistol, I love you like a brother mate but on this one you are totally wrong. Every team has bad decisions go their way and ... more
cherie alexander on NRL Predicitions Peter I agree with you,but may I just add something. J.T.is super competitive and wants to win,and so he should.He had every ... more
NEDDER on They Think We Are Fools peter - you silly boy - get with the rest of the world & have daylight saving- go & live in Sydney or Melbourne for ... more
shotgun on Blame the officials, not Thurston… I love the way he reacted an the way he carries himself on the field .. no many halfs in the game control their team like ... more

Horse Racing - The rules have to change

Posted by: Peter Psaltis | 9 September, 2009 - 12:24 PM

Like a lot of people I love to have a bet. But at the moment I seriously have to think twice about parting with my hard earned cash on a Saturday afternoon.

Why? I hear you ask.

Well the answer is simple - the racing authorities in this country have bowed to the pressure of the animal lovers and tree huggers in changing the whip rule.

The day before the rule was introduced I expressed concern when talking to Wade Birch (Qld Chief Steward) on Sports Today. My concerns have been vindicated. The examples we have seen in the last few weeks are just the tips of the iceberg. What if a horse looms up in a Cox Plate but then another runner comes flying through with a jockey using the whip in an illegal manor? It will create an uproar. Either keep the rules and make the punishment more severe or get rid of them all together.

At the moment the only person facing punishment is the jockey. If the trainer faced bans and the horse owners faced fines then it would be a different story. But that never will happen and in my opinion it shouldn’t happen.

What was wrong with racing before the new rules? Nothing!

Most jockeys will tell you the whip in fact doesn’t hurt the horse. They simply give it a brush to keep it focused a lot of the time.

As for the people who want the whip banned all together, then they obviously don’t have a large brain capacity. If a jockey doesn’t have a whip in his or her hand then we will see carnage on the race track. The whip is a great tool for a jockey to help steer the horse around the track.

It’s time we stopped listening to the tree hugging hippies and go back to the way we were.

Racing is a great game. A lot of people make there livelihood in racing. We must not continue to bow to the minority in what is such a valuable industry. We suffered enough through EI now the racing fraternity must stand firm during this current controversy and the powers that be must do what is right for their industry.

Blog comments

I don`t get this rule change. Stewards have always had the power to suspend jockeys for excessive use of the whip and I am dam sure if you were an owner or trainer a jockey that flogged your horse to death wouldn`t get another ride. This is all just a sop to the animal liberationists. Why don`t they go and pick on the greyhound industry, plenty to find wrong there.

Darryl Sunday 13 September, 2009 - 12:29 PM
I totally agree with the comments. I breed, own and race horses. If my horse gets beaten into second place and my jockey played by the rules and the winning one didn't I would seriously think about legal action if the race wasn't awarded to me. Then again, if I was the winning connection - why should I lose the race?. Keep the new padded whips, they don't hurt a fly, but go back to the old rules.

Pam Henderson Thursday 10 September, 2009 - 1:01 PM