Horse Racing : Sharing the Whip Doesn’t Pay Off for Jockeys

‘Tis the season to be cagey.

At Calder in Florida, a veteran jockey dropped his whip on the backstretch, so another jockey in the race loaned him his. At Pimlico in Maryland, the good-neighbor policy went into effect when a whip was dropped at the top of the stretch.

Racing approves of good sportsmanship, but whip-loaning is a no-no. The jockeys at Calder--George Chavez and Doug Valiente--were each suspended for 20 racing days. At Pimlico, the stewards handed out five-day suspensions to both Tommy Turner and Darren Muino.

Chavez’s horse ran fourth, finishing just ahead of Valiente’s mount. Turner’s horse finished third, and Muino’s ran last.

Why the big discrepancy in the penalties? The stewards at Pimlico were apparently lenient because both Turner and Muino are apprentices. The Calder stewards may have been sensitive to the fact that Chavez returned the whip to Valiente as they crossed the finish line.

Kenny Church, a former jockey who works in Del Mar’s publicity department, said he thinks the statute of limitations has expired on his whip-passing days.

“I did it a few times for other riders,” Church said. “And I’ve had it done a few times for me, too. The stewards never noticed, but of course this was in the days before the film patrol, where if they didn’t see it the first time, they weren’t going to pick up on it later because there were no reruns.”

Church can’t recall a horse ever being helped by a borrowed whip. “When you lost your stick, by the time you got the other one, it was too late to make a difference,” he said.

In 1971, Pimlico stewards lowered the boom on R.J. Martin, a jockey who passed his whip to another rider.

Martin had been riding a whip-shy filly for trainer Billy Boniface, but they had a falling out and the mount went to Nathan Plotkin, an apprentice.

Plotkin was sent out by Boniface without a whip, and in the drive for home, Martin came alongside with his horse and handed Plotkin his whip. Plotkin grabbed it and started whipping, but the filly sulked and refused to keep the pace.

Martin laughed all the way across the finish line, but the stewards saw no humor. Ruling malice aforethought, they suspended Martin a month and fined him $200.

Charlie Whittingham, the only trainer to have won the Arlington Million twice with different horses, and a conditioner who has started at least one horse in the race in all six previous runnings, won’t have an entrant this year.

When invitations went out this week for this year’s Million, seven North American and seven European horses were listed, but none from Whittingham’s barn.

Whittingham nominated at least a half-dozen horses, but none of them panned out. There were indications that Whittingham’s grass runners wouldn’t be as strong as they usually are when he ran fillies in recent major stakes. Ladanum finished fourth in the Sunset Handicap at Hollywood Park, and Fitzwilliam Place was seventh in the Eddie Read Handicap at Del Mar.

It usually isn’t Whittingham’s style to run fillies against colts. He also ran Rivlia, a 6-year-old who was sixth in last year’s Million, in the Sunset, but he gave the selection committee nothing to get excited about, running his fourth straight ordinary race since winning the San Luis Rey at Santa Anita in March.

Whittingham, who has started 12 horses in the Million, won the race with Perrault in 1982 and with Estrapade, a mare, in 1986. Trainer Ron McAnally also was won two Millions, both with John Henry.

The Million’s selection committee apparently wasn’t impressed with the Sunset winner, Roi Normand, who was third on the North American alternates’ list. Roi Normand has won only one other race, a small stake, in six starts this year, but his record is not unlike that of Carotene, who was invited.

Carotene won the Yellow Ribbon at Santa Anita last year, but this year, after winning the Pan American Handicap at Gulfstream Park, the 5-year-old mare has had a string of seconds, thirds and fourths.

Carotene, however, was bred and owned by Canadians, and this year’s Million will be run on Aug. 20 at Woodbine in suburban Toronto because Arlington Park is being rebuilt after a fire there two years ago.

Roi Normand moved up to No. 2 on the alternates’ list because of a training accident Thursday at Del Mar. Political Ambition, winner of the Hollywood Invitational and the top-ranked alternate, came up lame in his left foreleg and will be sidelined indefinitely.

Neil Drysdale, who trains Political Ambition, will start Deputy Governor, the Eddie Read winner, in the Million. Other North American invitees include Anka Germania, Equalize, Great Communicator, Yankee Affair and Sunshine Forever.

The foreign group is headed by Triptych, the 6-year-old French mare who has won nine major races, plus Broken Hearted, Kefaah, Most Welcome, Shady Heights, Then Again and Waajib.

Sunshine Forever and Then Again will be $50,000 supplementals because they weren’t nominated.

John Veitch, who trains for Darby Dan Farm, will be trying to win two $1-million races in the same day. Veitch is also running Brian’s Time in the Travers at Saratoga. Both Sunshine Forever and Brian’s Time are sons of Roberto. Angel Cordero, who has been riding both horses, will stay at Saratoga to ride Brian’s Time.

Regal Classic is now No. 1 on the North American alternates’ list. No. 3 on the foreign alternates’ list is Sir Harry Lewis, the Irish Derby winner who is now trained by Wayne Lukas.

Horse Racing Notes

Cutlass Reality, who is on a three-stake winning streak, will run with the high-weight of 123 pounds Sunday in the $100,000 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar. The field, in post-position order, with jockeys and weights, consists of Synastry, Eddie Delahoussaye, 112 pounds; Aly Khan, James Corral, 107; Masterful Advocate, Aaron Gryder, 113; Cutlass Reality, Gary Stevens, 123; Simply Majestic, Russell Baze, 115; Nostalgia’s Star, Fernando Toro, 116, and Skip Out Front, Chris McCarron, 115. Precisionist, who also was weighted at 123, is not running in the 1 1/16-mile race. . . . Nostalgia’s Star is also entered in tonight’s closing stake at the Orange County Fair, the $150,000 Orange County Handicap at 1 1/8 miles. If he runs there, Nostalgia’s Star would carry 119 pounds, 4 less than Honor Medal. Others in the Los Alamitos race are Stylish Winner, Rafael’s Dancer, Khalil, Conquering Hero, He’s a Saros, Midwest King, Distant Pal and Knight’s Legend.

Bet Twice, who finished third, behind Alysheba and Java Gold, in the Eclipse Awards voting for best 3-year-old colt last year, was beaten Tuesday for the fourth time in six starts as a 4-year-old. He ran second, 3 lengths behind Slew City Slew, in a mile race at Monmouth Park. . . . Alysheba, who worked 7 furlongs Thursday in 1:24 for Chris McCarron at Hollywood Park, is scheduled to run in the Iselin Handicap at Monmouth Park on Aug. 27 and the Woodward at Belmont Park on Sept. 17. Trainer Jack Van Berg didn’t send Alysheba to Saratoga this month because of the heat and the mosquitoes.

Goodbye Halo faces five opponents today in the Alabama at Saratoga. . . . Winning Colors, who was beaten by Goodbye Halo at Santa Anita before winning the Kentucky Derby, worked a half-mile Friday at Saratoga in 51 1/5 and is expected to race next month at Belmont. . . . In becoming the fifth distaffer to win the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga, Personal Ensign also extended her undefeated career streak to 10 races. That equals what another brilliant filly, Ruffian, did before she broke down, and later had to be destroyed, in a match race against Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure at Belmont Park in 1975.

Anka Germania, winner of the Sword Dancer at Belmont last month, is 16 for 41 overall, but 7 for 7 with jockey Craig Perret. . . . Financially distressed Hollywood Park has received some relief from Wells Fargo Bank, which has reduced its interest rate to the track from five to two points over the prime rate. Also, payment on Hollywood’s $55-million note, which had been due at the end of the year, has been extended until next June 15. . . . Lost Code’s condition is still stable and he will remain hospitalized for at least another week after undergoing emergency surgery for a twisted intestine last week. The colt reportedly is insured for $3 million.

Del Mar must have known jockey Eddie Delahoussaye was going to have a big season. Delahoussaye is on the track’s daily program cover, a reproduction of a painting by Celeste Susany. . . . Dale Baird became the second trainer, after Jack Van Berg, to saddle 5,000 career winners. Baird, 53, had his first winner in 1961 and reached the 5,000-win plateau at Mountaineer Park--formerly Waterford--in West Virginia. He races claimers and typically has 80 horses in training at one time.