Champion jockey James McDonald has been suspended and fined for breaching whip rules while riding Fireball to a first-up victory in the $2 million Inglis Millennium at Randwick. The incident has sparked debate over the effectiveness of current penalties in Australian racing.
Stewards Sanction McDonald for Excessive Whip Use
After scoring on debut at Rosehill in November, the James Harron-owned colt and $4.60 favourite powered down the outside to deny Ghana’s Akan ($17) by a half-length, with Alibaba ($26) another head away in third place. However, the victory was somewhat soured by stewards sanctioning McDonald for excessive whip use.
McDonald, who pleaded guilty, was fined $20,000 and suspended for 10 days for striking Fireball nine times before the 100-metre mark and 20 times in total. The suspension runs from February 15 to 25.
Commentator Calls for Rule Change
Channel 7 commentator Jason Richardson said the rule needs to be changed because, at the moment, the financial penalty is no penalty. "This is a rule that Australian racing needs to get serious about or throw it out," he stated.
"At the end of the day, there are certain rules that the other jockeys are abiding by, and if one jockey breaks the rules by excessive use of the whip, a financial penalty is no penalty because he’s just won a $2 million race." Richardson added, "Imagine that was a millimetre in it and the runner-up has not broken the rules and the winner gets a lump sum of the $2 million race. Either enforce the rule or don’t have it."
McDonald Credits Trainer Chris Waller
Meanwhile, McDonald credited champion trainer Chris Waller and his team for keeping the faith in Fireball, who he thought might have struggled to cope with the pressure of a big field in the Inglis Millennium (1100m). "I’ve been saying all week to Chris that the colt is a bit of a ‘dummy’ and I wasn’t sure if he was ready for a test like this," McDonald said.
"But great credit to Chris, he had faith in the colt and said, ‘he is a very nice horse, as you will see when he is put under pressure’. He was put under pressure today and we saw how well he responded."
Waller Praises Fireball's Raw Ability
Waller said the most impressive part of Saturday’s victory was the fact Fireball had done it on raw ability, and his best was still ahead. "He will get stronger, and he’ll get faster. He’s got the frame, he is well bred," Waller said of the son of Snitzel.
"He hasn’t been wound up to get to today. He wasn’t even going to run unless he drew a nice barrier. I was more than happy to wait and just bide our time."
Future Plans for Fireball and Hidrix
Waller also has Canonbury Stakes winner Hidrix on a path towards the $5 million Golden Slipper (1200m), and with that youngster likely to have his next start in the Silver Slipper (1100m) on February 21, Waller is keen to keep the two colts apart. He will find another lead-up for Fireball, who he believes has the potential to develop into a serious contender for the juvenile showpiece.
"We’re starting to work them out, which is good," Waller noted. "The Silver Slipper is in two weeks and we’re in no rush. We got a few colts we can now sit back and split up a little bit, and 1200 metres, I think, will suit him better, so one of those (1200 metre) ones coming up."
