Ruby Walsh: Do the powers that be have the stomach to make the big demotion calls?

St Mark's Basilica ridden by Ryan Moore. He did what he felt he had to do to win. It wasn’t careless, it was calculated, writes Ruby Walsh. Picture: Nigel French/PA Wire.

Last Sunday morning, before a horse stepped foot on the track at Longchamp, Aidan O’Brien was already the topic of many conversations. He had given Richie Forristal a pretty frank interview, from which Richie wrote an excellent article for the Racing Post.

I agreed with plenty of what Aidan said and enjoyed reading the honest thoughts of a customarily reserved and calculated man. Whether I agree or disagree with Aidan’s points of view is probably of little consequence to either of us. Still, I can’t entirely agree with his solution to solving the issues surrounding the apparent rise in interference breaches in Irish racing.

I probably can’t entirely agree with him or with many of the people who have been beating the drum for some time now about this topic because I feel the language used and the rules which they want to be applied are the wrong ones.

Aidan highlighted two high-profile cases on Champions Weekend involving Shane Foley aboard No Speak Alexander in the Matron Stakes and Ryan Moore on St Mark’s Basilica in the Champion Stakes.

Both riders had been found guilty of careless riding on the day and had received five and one-day suspensions respectively. However, Aidan felt that Shane had ridden dangerously and should have received a one-month ban, and Ryan, riding for him, should have received a seven-day ban for careless riding. He feels increasing the bans would deter similar riding in the future, and riders’ actions in these situations should have no bearing on the outcome for owners or trainers.

Unfortunately, I can’t see any of that working because, firstly, I believe neither were guilty of careless riding, nor do I think Shane was guilty of dangerous riding, but I do believe both were guilty of improper riding. Both riders knew what they were doing, both made racing-winning manoeuvres that stopped their opposition, but neither paid the ultimate price: disqualification.

Ryan Moore is one of the world’s finest riders, and on St Mark’s Basilica at Leopardstown, he did what he felt he had to do to win. It wasn’t careless, it was calculated, and he knew he could get away with it. The proof is in his left hand and how little contact he maintains with the reins, knowing he had Poetic Flare beaten to his left, he drifts right to make Tarnawa go a long way round.

In the Matron, Shane’s whole body moved left to close a gap he had allowed to open, which Ryan Moore was trying to get through on Mother Earth. To win, he had to close that gap, but his mistake was allowing it to open in the first place, and he only closed it because our rules favour the horse that gets to the winning post first.

The argument many make is that he put those inside him in danger by going left. However, in a jockey’s mind all those inside him had time to react, pull back and avoid risk because what jockeys see as dangerous is situations they can’t respond to.

They all know and understand the responsibility for the horse’s heels in front of you is yours, and what they consider dangerous is somebody not watching those heels in front of them. Riding blind, not watching all of those around you, the sport is dangerous but, like driving, those paying attention are rarely caught out.

History tells us accidents will happen, but it also shows us that accidents have caused the most damage. It is in situations whereby nobody could react because of a bolting horse in the mid-pack or just general bunching in the early stages of a race that have caused the worst accidents.

Most riders guilty of dangerous riding have put themselves in danger, myself excluded when, in my youth, I tried valiantly to run David Marnane into the last fence at Punchestown one February – and we were riding in a bumper!

But it wasn’t the 21 days I got that hurt me most, it was the disqualification of Palette that scared me. Would Willie Mullins ever give me a ride again? Of course, he did, but were I to break the rules and have his horses disqualified continually, would he have? No. And there is the solution.

Shane Foley shouldn’t have pulled left, Ryan Moore shouldn’t have drifted right but winning Group 1s is what they are expected to do. IHRB or BHA bans won’t stop jockeys’ employers from using them as long as they keep winning the races, but start disqualifying them and the unease sets in.

The power is with the owners and trainers, but they must feel the pain too if they are going to put enough pressure on riders to stay within the rules. The IHRB needs to stop coding themselves as well: careless means not giving sufficient attention or thought to avoid harm or errors; improper means not in accordance with accepted standards, especially of morality or honesty; dangerous means able or likely to cause harm or injury.

Everybody’s opinion may differ as to what is dangerous. Mine is my own opinion and maybe too lenient, but the rulebook is wrong too. Leaving the majority of interference to fall under careless riding is the easy option for stewards. In the IHRB rulebook, improper riding covers “misconduct in the course of riding that would be dangerous but for the fact that it did not cause serious interference.”

That’s not right. Professional fouls should fall under the improper bracket and carry the correct penalties. Intentional is not dangerous, but intentional should mean you get demoted. It’s improper. The question is, though, do the powers that be have the stomach to make the big calls, demoting potential stallions and Group 1-winning fillies? Or will they continue with the easy option?