The Hong Kong Jockey Club has confirmed the new whip rule that will come into effect for the 2025-26 racing season, which begins at Sha Tin this Sunday.
After a review into how the whip is used in the jurisdiction was announced in May, the Club’s chief steward, Marc van Gestel, confirmed there will be a change to the use of the whip before the 100-metre marker.
The whip must not be used “in consecutive strides at any time prior to the 100 metres,” Van Gestel said at a press conference at Sha Tin on Thursday morning. “Otherwise, the whip may be used at the rider’s discretion over the final 100 metres.”
The change to Rule 100 has been implemented to “address perception issues in respect to equine welfare and whip use,” Van Gestel continued. “It’s a step towards harmonisation with other racing jurisdictions, particularly with the growth of World Pool events.”
The implementation of the new rule comes nine months after it was announced that all 12 of Hong Kong’s Group 1 races would be incorporated into the World Pool schedule, which aims to promote the world’s best races.
But, unlike the other eight countries to host World Pool events, Hong Kong remains the only jurisdiction that doesn’t stipulate how many times the whip can be used in their rules of racing.
“One of the things that the Club was keen on is not requiring the jockeys to count whip strikes during a race,” Van Gestel said. “We think that takes the jockeys’ focus away from actually riding the race in terms of tactics that they’ll adopt.”
Van Gestel confirmed there will be a transition period for the new rule and while results have been changed under the whip rules in other jurisdictions, he said there will be “no protests, objections or disqualifications for breaches” in Hong Kong.
“The transition period will depend on how the riders react to the new rules,” he said. “If there is a major offence, initially that may attract a fine and if they continue to breach the rules, then suspensions will start to be issued.”
At the press conference, Van Gestel referred to Zac Purton’s ride aboard Shamus Storm on May 4 and Angus Chung’s steer on Northern Fire Ball on July 5 as “examples of what won’t be allowed”.
In those instances, Chung used the whip 17 times before the 100 metres, while Purton used it 13 times up to the same point.
The Club’s executive director of racing, Andrew Harding, hopes the revised rules are “a measured change that will achieve our objectives in terms of safety, in terms of welfare, while at the same time ensuring the sport is conducted in a way that our fans expect.” ∎
