THE SUNSHINE COAST NEWSPAPER COLUMN: DRILLING DOWN. WHY REPEAT OFFENDERS CONTINUE TO OFFEND

By Graham Potter | Saturday, August 15, 2020

Graham Potter writes a weekly column for the Sunshine Coast daily. Due to demand from those having trouble accessing the column these articles are now also published on HRO courtesy of the Sunshine Coast daily.

Nash Rawiller’s surprise referral to a sport’s psychologist … by order of the Racing New South Wales stewards … caught many people off guard. It was a little-known, little used option in the steward’s armoury and, even though it came on the back of repeated careless riding rule transgressions by Rawiller, many questioned the value of the instruction being directed at a person of Rawiller’s experience and knowledge.

Rawiller, by nature, is a vigorous rider whose strength is a major part of his armoury and a very big factor in the on-going success he has achieved as a jockey. He commits to a run … big time … and it is no real surprise when that level of determination sometimes gets him into trouble when it crosses the line into the careless riding category.

That does not mean the onus to guard against riding recklessly does not sit firmly on Rawiller’s shoulders. Of course, it does … again big time … and penalties in the form of fines or suspensions are right there, waiting to punish any indiscretions.

If you have a repeat offender, those penalties become harsher … but, to go to the root of the problem, you really have to drill down into why a repeat offender continues to offend.

It might not be rocket science.

Would three sessions … three ‘chats’ … with a sport’s psychologist seriously be able to alter a mindset? Will Rawiller come out of that surrounded by some shiny light, recognising how wrong he has been and ready to play an angelic role in the running?

Yes, you’re right … and clearly suspensions (mostly appealed and many reduced) hardly seem to scratch the surface in dealing with the problem.

So, where does the real problem lie?

Could it actually be in the race result itself? I'm talking about … WINNING!

It almost appears that winning outweighs careless riding on occasions to the point where the spoils of victory cancel out the downside of any penalty occurred … and the premise from there is if jockeys are not going to have the race taken away from them, they are prepared to cop one on the chin for the team.

That is not to suggest anybody deliberately engages in careless riding. That would be putting both themselves and fellow jockey’s safety in danger … but, just how many times aggression has been part of the winning formula is there for all to see. Closing a gap here, pushing in-between horses there … and we are talking about senior riders here.

It's the same with the whip rule ... maybe the result of any relevant race should feature more under the punishment banner of careless riding and the whip rule if stewards are serious about posting a deterrent.

But, in the end, I guess, it is all part of the game.

Maybe I am selling the psychologist profession short but I do think that if sending a jockey of the level of experience of Rawiller to a psychologist is the remedy stewards have for addressing what they obviously see as a big problem … then they are in big trouble.