Jockey shenanigans mar BC prep races

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by jms62

You are right 7 days is ridiculous for not putting forth an effort to have his horse win the race and defrauding the betting public. Not to mention tactics that could have turned in to Mike Smith using a power chair for the rest of his life. I say 30 days minimum.

The horse who was a path wider than he was won so who is to say that his tactics caused the horse to not win? Or perhaps long shots should just do their best to stay out of the big bad favorite way?

What tactics would you suggest that he should have taken that would have given his mount the best chance to win? The DRF isnt a script. Riders change tactics without notice all the time. Saying that he shouldnt have gone 4 wide in the first turn isnt an implication that he wasnt trying because the horse got beat 20 lengths. He might have gotten beaten 20 lengths regardless of what he did. Do we really want stewards basing decisions based on their preconceived notions of what should happen based on their handicapping of the race?

Every racing day at Parx horses are put into this exact same position by riders looking to get off of a dead rail. Even with less skilled riders and far less talented horses no one is getting put in power chairs.

Someone was complaining about integrity issues on social media concerning this ride and suspension. IMO the integrity problem is when big name horses, 2/5 shots, pretty horse people and bloggers start to affect the decision making process of the stewards which in some jurisdictions is pretty shaky already.