What’s a jockey supposed to do? The Blake Shinn suspension saga
TOP jockey Blake Shinn was handed down a one-month suspension for his ride aboard Thud in the Schweppes Handicap at Rosehill on Saturday, June 18.
Racing NSW stewards said Shinn had options he should have taken on the home turn and again in the straight which resulted in Thud flashing home late for fourth. Shinn was subsequently charged with failing to take all reasonable and permissible measures to win or obtain the best possible position.
Thud’s trainers Peter and Paul Snowden have publicly defended Shinn, stating the result was down to bad luck.
“It’s just bad luck on the day,” Peter Snowden said.
“She is a horse with a short, sharp sprint. She was first-up over 1200 metres rather than 1100, which we would have preferred.
“Blake is out there making a split-second decision. Blake sees it as he sees it.”
Shinn intends to appeal the one-month suspension which could tarnish his image.
“I go out on every horse to win,” Shinn said.
“I have a reputation as one of the hardest working and competitive riders out there.
“I don’t want this to damage my reputation because I was there to win.
“Things didn’t pan out. A run came and a run closed.
“I’ve had more than 10,000 rides and never been charged under this rule. My record speaks for itself.”
Stewards were concerned with four areas of the race which began at the home turn where they said Shinn could have made a move outwards.
Later in the straight they said he failed to ride with sufficient purpose and persisted with a run that saw Thud being inconvenienced.
What Horsebetting has to say about the suspension
We believe in fair play and the stewards have every right to question a rider’s intentions. Cleaning up horse racing from a punters perspective is paramount and having a level playing field is something punters expect when they place a bet.
There have been numerous jockeys in countries all around the world that have been involved in race-fixing. It’s an ugly truth, but a reality that unfortunately exists. With that being said, the one-month suspension of Australian jockey Blake Shinn is crossing the line of reason.
We’ll start first by stating that Shinn has never been charged under this rule in the past and stewards found no suspect betting activity (Thud closed at $8.50 at Sportsbet.com.au).
Having replayed the race in its entirety on numerous occasions, we tried looking at it from both angles – that of the stewards, and that of Blake Shinn.
Angle 1: stewards
Thud jumps from the barriers well and Blake Shinn gives it time to find its feet before settling in a midfield position. He allows his mount to drift back nearing the home turn as opposing horses are being restrained in front of him.
Coming around the home turn, Shinn is in between runners with an option to push Kerrin McEvoy aboard Don’t Doubt Marley wider on the track, therefore allowing more room in the straight.
Shinn fails to take the outside line and instead heads inside of runners where little room presents itself. Again Shinn decides not to pull out wide where there is sufficient room and only takes the gap when another horse front of him (Miss Tenpins) goes before him.
Shinn, reluctant to move outwards, heads back to the inside of runners and finishes off strongly for fourth under hard riding.
Angle 2: Blake Shinn
Shinn lets his mount settle nicely before letting Miss Tenpins track three-wide around him. Shinn was forced to restrain Thud as Jay Ford aboard Bonete was easing in front of him.
Nearing the home turn, Shinn was again unable to search for a three-wide position as Hugh Bowman aboard Magic Of Dreams had taken the same running line as Miss Tenpins. As a result, Shinn was forced to sit in a pocket nearing the home straight.
Stopping the video at the 400m mark, Shinn was forced to make a split-second decision. He decided to move inwards as there is clearly no room to move outwards. A gap does appear on his outside at the 350m mark, but Shinn had already committed to an inside line.
Shinn has a wall of horses in front of him at this point and is checked when trying to create room. Shinn then spots room to his outside, but Deanne Panya aboard Miss Tenpins has the rights to the line and subsequently beats Shinn to the spot.
With nowhere to go, Shinn dives between runners and pushes his mount hard late. Shinn never stops riding out his mount and there is no sign of easing near the line.
Our summation:
Racing NSW stewards have crossed the line. In our opinion, Blake Shinn’s ride aboard Thud was desperately unlucky and he took all reasonable measures to ensure his mount had every opportunity presented to it.
Stating that Shinn did not take all permissible measures to obtain the best position is a term which should be scrapped from the stewards vocabulary. Not only can jockeys not whip their horses as they like, but they also get suspended for aggressive riding.
In order for Thud to win at Rosehill on June 18, Shinn would have had to put other jockey’s lives in danger. There was no room available to him when a decision had to be made and simply pushing out opposing runners is considered dangerous and would result in a suspension.
So what’s Blake Shinn to do? Ride aggressively by pushing out other runners, or wait for gaps to appear in a safe manner?
That’s the question Racing NSW need to ask themselves. They can’t be setting a precedent that any jockey not willing to endanger others will cop a suspension and that doesn’t leave out any jockey that just gets an unlucky run.
We get how stewards could easily jump to conclusions about illegal activity in this day and age, but giving Shinn a one-month suspension for an unlucky ride with no past history of illegal activity and the backing of the trainer, is just downright wrong.
We will provide an update of the Blake Shinn appeal when resulted.