"The safety crops, which can have a maximum weight of eight ounces, cause more of a noise-making effect than anything, according to some jockeys — who add it would take some exceptionally aggressive riding to cause physical harm with those sticks."
Kentucky chief state steward Barbara Borden said none of the 12 state veterinarians at the Derby found any welts or marks on American Pharoah in the initial moments following the race, nor in the hour-plus he was observed after.
In an interview with the Herald-Leader on Friday, Borden added that after reviewing the race again in the wake of public scrutiny, the stewards felt Espinoza's use of the crop "fell within our regulations and felt no disciplinary action was warranted.
05-11-2015, 09:56 PM
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