The controversial whip rules have again been highlighted by a protest from second-placed jockey Jim Byrne against Jeff Lloyd for hitting his mount too often in the straight in a race at Doomben.
Lloyd’s mount Dream Choice ($4.80) ran past Byrne on Upstart Pride ($4.60) in the last 50 metres of the Saturday’s Open Hcp (1200m) to score by half a neck.
Byrne fired in a protest alleging Lloyd had hit his mount three times more than permitted.
He said it was clear Lloyd was two lengths behind him when he used the whip for the first time and still 1-1/2 lengths behind when he overused it.
Byrne said Lloyd continued to then use the whip and didn’t catch him until the last bit.
“The breach enabled him to get that close to catch me,” Byrne said.
Lloyd said even if he did breach the whip rule it had not changed the result.
“I had softened him up early by making him cross me and I knew he would be weak late in the race. The whip made no difference,” Lloyd said.
Stewards asked Dream Choice’s trainer Robert Heathcote if he had anything to add to the defence.
“We haven’t got long enough to discuss what I think of this farcical whip rule. If you uphold that I will take up greyhound training in NSW,” he said.
Stewards quickly dismissed the protest and declared correct weight.
“We do not believe the whip had any impact on the result,” chief steward Allan Reardon said.
Heathcote said he had been expecting an improved run from Dream Choice who had been beaten six lengths in the Group Three Healy Stakes at his previous start.
“He was only beaten a neck out of third and he was back on a dry track. It is the first on a genuine dry track in about 10 weeks,” he said.
