Racing Victoria (RV) is set to implement harsher penalties for riding offences in feature races in the coming months.
In a communication to jockeys on Monday, RV’s integrity department announced that suspensions for offences related to careless, reckless, and improper riding, as well as breaches of the whip rule, will be lengthened for Group 1 events and races with prize money of $750,000 or more.
The minimum penalty for low-range careless riding will increase from ten meetings to 14, while mid-range and high-range careless riding offences will now carry bans of 22 and 26 meetings, respectively.
Additionally, jockeys who use their whip ten times before the 100-metre mark or more than 15 times during the race will face an 18-meeting ban.
“After reviewing the data, we identified that suspensions were occurring more often in Group 1 races, with riders 3.3 times more likely over the past three seasons to be suspended under AR131 in these feature races compared to others, which is concerning,” said RV chairman of stewards Rob Montgomery.
“We recognise that the stakes are higher in Group 1 races and thus the incentive may be there for some riders to push too far in search of success.
“For the safety of all riders, we want to ensure that a win-at-all-costs attitude does not creep in.”
Victoria’s first Group 1 of the 2024/25 season is the Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday afternoon.
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