Stewards ultimately hurting the game?

[Cannon Shell]

The stewards have fined four riders for whip violations on Wednesday evening's program.

Chantal Sutherland has been fined $1,200 for excessive use of the whip, as the stewards ruled she had struck her mount, Indian Apple Is, four times in succession in the late stages of her half-length victory in the Ruling Angel Stakes.

Indian Apple Is earned $69,000, and the rules call for Sutherland to forfeit 20 percent of her 10-percent share of the winner's purse, excluding the $9,000 Ontario-sired bonus.

Luis Contreras was fined $200 for striking his mount, Nine Miracles, under the belly throughout the stretch run en route to her nose win in the eighth and final race.

Gerry Olguin has appealed a $300 fine and a one-day suspension for striking his mount, Cape Schanck, more than three times in succession during the stretch run of the eighth race. The ruling by the stewards marked Olguin's second offense under the recently imposed guidelines.

Cape Schanck finished third, beaten a nose and a head.


While I am sure that there will plenty of disagreement, isn't it a detriment to the game to punish jockeys that are winning close races (i.e. trying really hard to win)??? They are already using the soft whips. Any discouragment to winning without clearly doing anything dramatically bad seems like a bad idea to me.

Thoughts?