The new whip rules continue to dominate discussion in the harness racing industry and after travelling to another country meeting during the week I was able to canvas a few more drivers and get their opinions on the changes. I am still finding it difficult to find too many drivers to support the rules and while I believe we need some change it isn't going to be easy for the administrators in New South Wales to change them because a number of the states seem to be viewing the new rules differently and it must be remembered that these are "national rules".

Here are the most important rule changes for those who haven't read them

Rule 156 (2) A driver shall at all times hold a rein in each hand unless adjusting approved gear.
(4) A driver shall be deemed to have used the whip excessively
.. (c) If the reins are lengthened so as to result in loose reining
(d) If the whip is used in other than a flicking motion

So are all the stewards from different states interpreting the new rules the same way? From what I have seen so far the answer is no! In some states drivers are breaking rule 156 (4c) every race. The reins are lengthened so as drivers can better leverage to use the whip and then as a result break rule 156 (4d). Instead of using a flicking motion with the whip drivers are using their arms in a similar action to what they were doing before January 1.

Safety is becoming a big issue with these new rules and if they aren't addressed immediately someone is going to be seriously hurt in a fall. While drivers are being forced to drive with a rein in each hand it is near impossible for a driver to not lengthen the rein when using the whip in a flicking motion using his/her wrist and elbow. As a result when a driver does use the whip the reins do become lengthened and therefore the driver has less control over the horse in the finish of a race.

Greg Radley and I interviewed Robbie Byrnes on this very issue last Tuesday and he basically said it was an accident waiting to happen. So most in NSW are in agreement that there has to be some change but when the majority of the other states seem to be happy what options do NSW have?

A decision could be made to enforce local rules in NSW, basically going against HRA the new national rules, but if that happens expect there to be an outcry from the animal welfare people about the return to the "dark days" in our state. Another option would be to water down the new rules in NSW something that happened in the galloping industry at a national level and maybe that would be the best approach to take. I am tipping we will here more in the next week

I attended the Inter City Pace at Maitland on Saturday night and it was an absolute sensational night for all of those who attended. Maitland was once a very strong area and while there are still a number of horses trained in the local area it was great to see so many people turn out to support the club. Just by looking at the crowd it was very easy to see that there were more this year than 12 months ago and I think the night will continue to be a success if run in a similar manner. Christmas wouldn't have the same meaning and feeling if it was every weekend and I think the same applies in this situation. I wrote something similar 12 months ago after the last Inter City Pace meeting and I stand by it. There is room for clubs like Maitland on the calendar and maybe it would be nice to see the Inter City heats run at Maitland as well but that's about as far as I would go. The novelty would soon wear off if the club raced 20 times a year and the crowd numbers would drop.

On the Inter City Pace itself, what an outstanding race! I assumed like many, that Ghadasbest would lead and win but Ashlee Siejka's decision to come out of the gate on Fair Blazing and attempt to cross the favourite ensured the speed was on early. Jarrod Alchin made a move to get outside the leader with Deadsetlucky and kept Ghadasbest honest throughout. It will be interesting to see what races Ahmed Taiba has picked out for the four year old because he is only lightly raced and his driver on Saturday night Greg Bennett thought he would be an ideal Chariots Of Fire horse and while that race is a long way off it is important to note that he had no problems handling the tight circuit.

Congratulations to Richard, Glen, Mark, Wayne and all of the other hard working people who ensured the success of the meeting and I look forward to getting back there again in 12 months.

Smoken Up tasted defeat again in a group 1 but it was another outstanding performance to finish so close. After the gelding galloped Lance Justice opted to go forward when he caught the field and despite being caught three and four deep for the entire race he still hit the line well to finish second behind Mister Zion. I remember watching Auckland Reactor last campaign when he galloped from the stand and blew the start hopelessly in a particular race. He settled down, tacked on and was then sent around the field before tiring in the run up the straight. I wonder now just how much that one run took of Auckland Reactor and while Smoken Up has been around longer and is tougher mentally than the kiwi, connections of Smoken Up wouldn't want to see the horse have too many more gut-busters like that in his career. On the back of a 43 degree day he arguably ran the race of his career and it is now up to Lance to pick that horse up and get him ready for the Inter Dominion in NSW. Catch you next week