Might be the best way to get the owners more involved with who they hire to manage and compete their horses too. Not pointing to Bill Mott here, I’d send him a horse in a heartbeat. But we all know there are some that are win at all costs who need to get hit in their wallets and/or loose prestige wins more often or it will never stop.
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And now it has made the NY Times.
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Nine times since 2022, I wonder if there will come a time when the penalty will double because of the recurring strikes.
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Maybe the fact they are actually monitoring and assessing penalties that sting on all connected with the horse instead of the traditional good old boys wink wink and look the other way keeping mouth shut will do the job?
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This is exactly my hope.
I do think it behooves us all as horse people to have strict whip use rules that carry impactful consequences when violated. If only USEF would pay so much attention as HISA is right now… I’m low key jelly.
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I was thinking the same thing, I’m sure Godolphin is happy to pay that fine!
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There are no public betting interests to protect in horse shows or they would be more motivated to improve.
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Don’t forget that gambling is illegal in Islam and Godolphin started because of a love of horses in a horse focused culture. Godolphin promotes great horses and great races rather than winning great amounts of money.
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Your comment is totally irrelevant to my post. Godolphin’s goal is to win races, especially the classics. It has taken them decades to win the Derby, if they add an extra $62,000 to Junior’s bonus I’m sure it was worth it to them. Gambling has nothing to do with it.
And where is their “love of horses” in endurance racing? They have a miserable history in that area.
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….but when in Rome???
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Yes - being “whipped” is often just waving the whip forward, then back, then forward in sync with the horse’s stride… without actually touching the horse in any way… you see that all the time. It is not being whipped.
I record America’s Day at the Races all the time and watch it later in the day so I can FF through commercials etc. I have never heard the sound of constant, aggressive, ferocious whipping. I would remember that and would not like it. Nor did I see on any telecast that horses were coming back with “welts” on their sides. I have never even seen that when standing at the rail at the track watching the horses come back when theyareverycloselikethisandeverythingisrightinyourfaceandobvious. But hey - I know nothing about racing or the backside or the breeding shed… so there’s that. /S 
I maybe have a few weeks’ worth of ADatR that have not been deleted yet… so I can check a specific day if @snaffle1987 can share when this happened. Inquiring, investigative minds want to know. I could even record the specific race/time on my phone and share it here. And zoom in to show all the welts or increase the volume to amplify the whip strikes.
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Perhaps a non-horseperson wouldn’t be able to tell the difference in hitting with the whip vs using it as guiding or as threatening to hit. When they’re striking the horse it’s apparent.
meh- my husband has been riding for 25 years, since he met me. He has thousands of hours in the saddle, on the trail, just not showing or competing. He is fascinated by cross country, and we’ve been to Rolex/not Rolex in KY, and we’ve watched many a 4 and 5 star online. Just this week he noticed some carrying whips and some not. Point being I think the general population is just watching horses one with small people on their backs in bright colors.
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From the NY Times, Alvarado’s defense: “When the extra whip happened, I was right next to the favorite and I needed to do what I needed to do at the time. After (watching a replay), I saw I went over, but I had no time to think about that (in the moment). I just wanted to win the biggest race in America.”
Also from NYT Times: “Since riding crop penalties were introduced in 2022, Alvarado has been penalized nine times, HISA records indicate.”
I’m curious what his defense has been in the past.
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I dunno. Maybe ask Irad Ortiz Jr. the same question.
"…While it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact number of times Irad Ortiz Jr. has been fined specifically for whip infractions, here’s a breakdown of instances where he’s been penalized for whip rule violations:
Fines and Suspensions:
- 2022 Kentucky Derby: Ortiz Jr. was fined $500 for exceeding the allowable overhand strikes with the whip during the Kentucky Derby.
- 2024 Saratoga: He received a one-day suspension and a $500 fine for violating Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) crop rules.
- 2023 Breeders’ Cup: While Ryan Moore was fined for whip violation at the 2023 Breeders’ Cup, Ortiz Jr. received a three-day suspension for a separate infraction (interference).
Additional Whip-Related Penalties:
- Saudi Cup: In 2020, Ortiz Jr. received an eight-day suspension for excessive whip use in a race leading up to the Saudi Cup and another two-day suspension for the same offense in the Saudi Cup itself…"
Or Paco Lopez…
“…Since HISA’s Racetrack Safety Program went into effect on July 1, 2022, Lopez has been sanctioned a total of 15 times for whip violations. Eleven of those occurred prior to his suspension; six were for raising his wrist above his helmet when striking a horse, and five were for exceeding the maximum number of strikes…”
Or John Velazquez:
"…While it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact number of times John Velazquez has been fined for whip use throughout his long career, here’s what is known based on available information:
Known Instances of Fines/Suspensions for Whip Use:
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December 2022: Velazquez was fined $4,017 and suspended for one day for using his whip seven times on Mind Control in the Cigar Mile Handicap at Aqueduct. This was one strike over the limit allowed by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA).
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2015: He was fined $500 by the New York Gaming Commission for “inappropriate use of his whip” on Tonalist in the Suburban Handicap.
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June 2019: Velazquez received a nine-day suspension for misusing his whip at Royal Ascot, where the rules differ from the United States. He was also fined $441.
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Other Possible Instances: It’s stated that Velazquez has been fined “previously” for improper whip use, indicating there might be other incidents not specifically detailed in these sources…"
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So from reading that it seems to me the punishment hasn’t been severe enough for them to either learn from it or not benefit from going ahead and striking the horse.
I BELIEVE that in the ‘heat of the moment’/adrenaline rush that it is easy to miscount/mistake the number of times the whip has been used, especially when it’s very close.
Because of the incident and fine, there has been some commentaries that I’ve seen on whip use on televised racing programs. Like someone said above, one of these commentators described these riding bats/crops/whips like a “nerf” item.
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I’ve certainly used a crop occasionally on riding horses—one that comes to mind was the time a previous BO was letting beginners stop and dismount at the in-gate and the lesson horse learned that she could stop there and no one could make her move. I got on her and as she slowed and then stopped near the gate. I asked her to move on with my leg (no response), and then with a Pony Club double-leg kick (still no response). So I requested a crop, asked her to move out again, and when she refused she got a solid smack on her butt.
She took off at a trot with her ears pinned 
and was fine until we came around the arena and approached the gate again. She started slowing again and ignored my aids, so she got a second smack which sent her forward.
That solved the problem and she went easily past the gate multiple times (although I’m sure she went back to her old habits soon afterwords because the BO thought crops were cruel). But that wily mare got her revenge on me—I was running up the stirrups after the ride and she reached around and bit me on the butt while my back was turned. I couldn’t even be mad at her!
BUT my Come-to-Jesus moment wasn’t publicly accessible. Racing is already decreasing in popularity and most fans don’t understand any whip use. They just think it’s cruel because the horses appear to be running as fast as they can and they’re being beaten anyway.
Banning crops altogether may not save racing and the massive dollars it adds to local economies, but it will alienate fewer general-public audiences. (To be clear, I’m ok with a limit on whip strikes, although I think it could be reduced 3 or 4 if the “real” reason is only safety.)
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“Junior Alvarado was granted a stay of suspension on Tuesday while the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) begins the process for hearing his newly-lodged appeal for allegedly using his whip two times above the six-strike limit when winning the GI Kentucky Derby aboard Sovereignty (Into Mischief) May 3.” More: https://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/alvarado-appeals-derby-whip-violation-penalties/
Huh. Interesting.
