The Garcia fine - should it be higher or lower?
 

Excerpt from DRF.....
By STEVE ANDERSEN
Garcia slapped with $1,000 fine

Jockey Martin Garcia, who was second in the jockey standings through Thursday, has been fined $1,000 by Del Mar stewards for three offenses of breaking the skin of his mounts with his whip.

The fine is the latest sanction against Garcia, one of the nation's top apprentice jockeys. He has compiled 13 days of suspension at this meeting because of careless riding, but has been allowed to continue riding while he appeals them.

Garcia has won 18 races at this meeting, 11 behind leader Victor Espinoza.

Garcia has been riding the hair off of them lately.

Pun intended. :p

WTF? time to stop letting them appeal and continue to ride...then let them withdraw their appeal and take the days whenever they want--

A $1K fine is not steep enough to be effective. This is a matter the trainer/owner should resolve. A threat to remove him from consideration on their mounts would get the jockey's attention and take some force out of those whip strokes. If the stewards are going to be involved, then the fine/punishment should be elevated sufficiently to become an effective deterrent.

I think it should be higher too.....

it should be LOWER, how else do you get 3 legged claimers to win???:confused:

That was the dumbist post yet. The boy never rode a horse till last year and he needs to learn his trade. I have always said they need to take the whip out of racing.

I think they should let the horses take a ride on him.....

Don't forget the whips!

Geesh...
A whip can help..but if the horse is dead tired, no amount of hits is going to help it find energy. This guy needs to learn his trade.
If he does this next out...fine him big!

Garcia gets seven-day suspension

Jockey Martin Garcia, who through Sunday was second in the jockey standings, has been suspended seven days for careless riding in the ninth race at Del Mar on Saturday, the fourth time he has been suspended for that infraction at this meeting.

Garcia has amassed 20 days of suspension this meeting. Earlier in the meeting, he was served with a three-day suspension and twice with five-day suspensions. He has not served any of the days, having launched the appeal process on the first three suspensions.

Garcia received a more severe suspension this time because of the accumulation of penalties, according to steward Scott Chaney.

In Saturday's ninth race, Garcia finished second aboard Awesome Gambler, but was disqualified and placed eighth for causing interference to Frank the Barber in early stretch.

Sunday, Garcia said he was not sure whether he would launch an appeal on the latest suspension, pending discussions with his agent, Roger Olguin. The latest suspension is scheduled to begin on Sunday and continue until Aug. 27.

Olguin said that Garcia has been surprised by the suspensions.

"They've scared him now," Olguin said of Garcia's reaction. "He doesn't ride with confidence."

Ya Right. The boy hasn't hit the ground and been stepped on yet. Then he will be scared.