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While most everyone thought the G1 Haskell at Monmouth Park this weekend would be a match race between Hot Rod Charlie and Mandaloun, no one expected the heart-stopping stretch run than could have been tragic or even lethal for Midnight Bourbon and his jockey, Paco Lopez. As Hot Rod Charlie made his move down the lane on Saturday, jockey Flavian Prat did not clear Midnight Bourbon sufficiently before coming over on him and causing the horse to go to his nose on all fours. The horse made an incredibly athletic recovery and righted himself, but Lopez went flying off his back into the path of trailing horses before being taken off the track by ambulance on a backboard.
Miraculously, neither horse nor jockey were seriously injured. Lopez suffered a minor knee injury, and Midnight Bourbon escaped with abrasions and bruises.
Hod Rod Charlie went on to finish first by a nose, but was quickly disqualified by the stewards and moved to last place behind Midnight Bourbon. Mandloun became the winner by default, which earned him an automatic bid to the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November at Del Mar.
Todd Pletcher’s Following Sea was elevated to second, despite the fact that he finished some 18 lengths behind the duo of Mandaloun and Hot Rod Charlie. Antigravity, at 56-1, officially finished third. However, those two horses are inconsequential to future G1 events, such as the G1 Travers at Saratoga, where Mandaloun will possibly make his next start.
Jockey Flavian Prat apologized to Paco Lopez after the race and took ownership of the mistake. We see that miscalculation or lapse in judgment far too often in racing and it is very dangerous for all involved.
Despite Plat’s ownership of the mistake, social media was immediately buzzing about the “no whip” rule at Monmouth Park. Many, who have never ridden a horse in their lives, became armchair jockeys and experts, deciding a whip would have made a difference. Of course, that’s pure speculation as we will never know.
I certainly cannot speak to this issue from experience. But, I can tell you that I have seen jockeys come over on other horses like that many times with a whip in their hands.
This sport needs a national regulatory agency worse than any other sport in America. The rules are different in each state and even at different tracks within the same state. The lack of regulation has created an almost constant state of chaos and upheaval. And, no case has made that more blatantly obvious than the on-going Bob Baffert debacle. We need to get our act together right now, before the fans…and more importantly the gamblers… walk away.
