Jockey Devin Habib feels sting of the whip

The Joburg jock’s latest punishment was a 10-day ban from riding, handed to him by the National Horseracing Authority (NHA) on Wednesday. Habib was charged with striking the horse Flashlight 16 times in race one at Turffontein on 15 August. The maximum number of whip strikes allowed is 12. Flashlight was the odds-on favourite (at 9-10) and finished second, less than a length behind the winner.

The NHA said the severity of the sentence was because of Habib’s poor record in regard to this particular misdemeanour – he had contravened Rule 58.10.2 (read with guideline M on the use of the crop) seven times in a 30-day period. This release came a day after another one detailing Habib’s violation of the same rule on 8 August, when he struck The Sash 15 times in race five at Turffontein. For this, the rider got a ban from riding at three consecutive race meetings and a R10,000 fine.

“Further, it was accepted that rules are in place to ensure a level playing field for all participants and that prior penalties handed down had not served to be a deterrent,” declared the NHA. Earlier, Habib picked up a total of R12,500 in fines and four days of suspension for his whip use in two races at Turffontein on 23 July.

The NHA’s recent actions on “the stick” have drawn some fire, with complaints that jockeys and the public have not been properly educated about how and why regulations are applied. During July, jockeys Eric Ngwane, Shadlee Fortune, Richard Fourie, Nathan Klink, Wayne Agrella, Donovan Dillon, Robert Khathi, Grant Behr, Warren Kennedy, Craig Bantam and Serino Moodley were all found guilty of violating whip rules in various parts of the country.

The punishments varied, leading to accusations of inconsistency. It is accepted that the riding crop helps a jockey control a horse – ensuring safety of animal, rider and the opposition in a race – in addition to encouraging it to perform at its best in the interests of connections and punters.

These variable factors mean the stipendiary stewards – the cops of the racetrack – are given some discretion in assessing the merits of each case. The SA Jockeys’ Association (SAJA) complains there has been no constructive engagement between all the relevant role players.

The current rule was amended in May this year and a notice about it was handed to jockeys, but the reasoning behind it was not effectively communicated by the NHA, said SAJA.

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