When Glen Boss rose in his irons 10m from the finish line in the Gr 1 Cox Plate, he displayed a pure joy and jubilation that we all long to experience.
In whatever walk of life we are on.
Somehow, his happiness made us all forget that we’d backed a horse that finished behind him.
It may have only been for five seconds, or five minutes, but seeing him artfully, skilfully stand tall as he crossed the finishing line, beaming his smile on the winner Sir Dragonet, made sense of the mess we call Covid-19.
Yet, he was fined for his joy.
The Stewards said the show of emotion would cost him $1000.
It was the 100th Cox Plate. Remember that. A landmark, milestone running of the great race. It was an outstanding ride. It was a moment of theatre, safe theatre at that, which was the icing on a frosty cake made so by the pandemic and no crowd.
Yet, the Stewards chose to fine him, smack his wrists in an attempt to thwart any more such displays of happiness.
When the dust settled, it was their mirthless display that’s being remembered.
Well, the excitable Bossy is having none of it. “I refuse to stop being happy when I win, just because someone doesn’t like it.
“I had all this built up energy in me. I still don’t know how to describe how I felt. It was just weird.
“There was no-one there, no-one to hug and this is a huge race. But the fine they handed me…I think it’s a joke. To put it bluntly.”
Bossy went on to explain that right now, because life is like it is, he feels obligated to show people how much it means to jockeys to ride winners of these big races.
“I don’t care if some people think I’m an idiot, because we are in a time when we are getting our sport in front of new people. And if I get an opportunity to capture the moment of something that is huge, and show them what it means for owners, trainers and jockeys to win races like this, then I will.
“I refuse to miss these moments because they are huge. I refuse to push these feelings down just because someone doesn’t like it.”
But not all agree with him. Many sided with the Stewards.
Former cricket great, now co-trainer along with his wife Kim, Mark Waugh, was critical.
“As much as I respect people’s opinion, I think it should be a bigger fine.,” he said.
“For two reasons 1- the horse may pull up and get beat if the jock celebrates too early and 2. more importantly, the horse may get injured as the jock is shifting his weight abruptly.”
So, what are your thoughts, racing fans?
Bossy breached the rules by celebrating BEFORE the line, and as such was fined. If he had waited two more strides, all would have been good but the joy would have been diminished.
This looks like a contentious issue and people are divided.
Very keen to hear if celebrating as a rider crosses the finish line is something the rank and file are happy with.
