Horse-friendly riding crops becoming standard

Horseracing Betting Lines

08/13/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Humane treatment of thoroughbred racehorses has been front and center since the tragic accident Barbaro suffered early in the running of the 2006 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.

This week and next two major racing venues institute use of horse-friendly riding crops. Del Mar in California began using the new crop on Wednesday of this week and next week jockeys at Monmouth Park in New Jersey will carry the softer instrument.

"This is a great step for racing," commented champion jockey Garrett Gomez at Del Mar. "All the jocks discussed it and wanted to make this move. One of our biggest problems was getting enough riding crops for everybody. With Del Mar's help, we were able to get a big enough supply, including for riders who couldn't necessarily afford them. With the new riding crop, horses seem to react to the sound of the popper rather than from a physical reaction to the whip. It's good for racing and we wanted to be at the forefront."

Del Mar purchased 40 crops from four different suppliers so that an adequate number will be available.

"Both the jockeys and Del Mar are pleased to achieve this milestone," said Darrell Haire, regional manager for the Jockeys' Guild. "Thanks to the cooperation of Del Mar management, especially Joe Harper (track president and general manager) and Craig Fravel (Del Mar executive vice president), as well as Bo Derek and the California Horse Racing Board, we were able to attain this goal that will be beneficial to the welfare of the horses competing at the meet."

The new crops have been endorsed by the Jockeys' Guild, which represents riders on the national level.

"Del Mar management has been exemplary in their cooperation and communication with the jockeys," said Terry Meyocks, national manager of the Jockeys' Guild. "If all segments of the racing industry worked together the way that Del Mar has worked with the riders, many of the challenges that the industry faces could be overcome."

Monmouth Park's director of racing, Mike Dempsey, announced Thursday that the new riding crops used by jockeys will become standard at the Jersey shore track on Wednesday, August 19.

All Monmouth Park jockeys will use the new riding crops in all races starting that day. Riders at the Oceanport facility have used the softer crop in the last race each racing day since Wednesday, July 8.

The new riding crop has been mandated for use at Delaware Park and Philadelphia Park. Jockeys have been voluntarily using the lighter and softer crop at Saratoga Race Course.

Wwwbingogala Horseracing Betting News

<< Wolves acquire Mancienne on loan from Chelsea
Wolverhampton, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wolverhampton has secured a major coup by signing Chelsea's England Under-21 defender Michael Mancienne on a season-long loan. The versatile 21-year-old spent two months on loan at Molineux

<< Woods leads Harrington by one at PGA
Chaska, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tiger Woods fired a five-under 67 Thursday to take the lead during the first round of the season's last major, the PGA Championship. Defending champion Padraig Harrington, who played with Woods on Thurs

<< Beckham '95-99 percent' sure about leaving L.A.
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England midfielder David Beckham has confirmed that he will return to Europe in January at the end of his latest campaign in the MLS with the Los Angeles Galaxy. The 34-year-old ended last season on loan wi

<< Schalke claims United is interested in Neuer
Gelsenkirchen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Schalke head coach Felix Magath has claimed that goalie Manuel Neuer is a transfer target for Manchester United. The 23-year-old Germany international was expected to join Bayern Munich earlie

<< Barca anxious to get injured Messi back
Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barcelona is anxiously awaiting the return of Lionel Messi to Spain after the Argentina star was ruled out of international action this week with a leg muscle injury. Messi missed Argentina's f

Sixers sign C Brezec >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers signed free agent center Primoz Brezec on Thursday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Brezec last played in the NBA during the 2007-08 season, splitting time betwe

Juve's Giovinco to miss opening games >>
Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rising star Sebastian Giovinco will miss the start of Juventus' Serie A campaign after picking up a thigh injury. The Italy Under-21 playmaker limped out of the midweek 4-1 preseason friendly loss to Villar

Villarreal's Rossi only open to top clubs >>
Villarreal, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Giuseppe Rossi's agent has warned potential suitors that the Villarreal striker will only return to Italy with one of Serie A's leading clubs. The Italy striker currently plays in Spain but ha

Lightning acquire F Miller for F Artyukhin >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired forward Drew Miller and a 2010 third-round draft choice from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward Evgeny Artyukhin. Miller has appeared in 53 career NHL games, all w

Bolton's Megson voices striker fears >>
Sunderland, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bolton's Gary Megson is concerned that his club could pay a high price if it fails to sign a new striker before the transfer window shuts. With only Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander at his disposa

NFL ODDSTop Football Betting Free Agents to Change Teams

NFL Betting

It’s time to see how the biggest NFL free agent signings will perform for their news teams. Some will work out and could be the difference that makes a difference in the win column.

We look at the best off-season signings and if they should influence your NFL betting this season. Julius Peppers – Peppers was the biggest prize available on the 2010 NFL free agent market and the Chicago Bears opened the bank to bring his talents to the south side.

Peppers is explosive, he can get around blockers and cause quarterbacks to lose their minds. We all remember the classic Peppers game last year against the Vikings where he hounded Brett Favre into his worst game of the season. Peppers joining the Bears could be the reason Favre retired for good Tuesday morning. In addition to Peppers, the Bears added Chester Taylor to back up Matt Forte, Forte didn’t have the same intensity in 2009 compared to 2008 and bringing in Taylor will challenge Forte to bring it every game or he’ll risk losing carries to Taylor.

Betting on the Bears is a good option this season because of Julius Peppers and to a lesser extent Taylor. Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens – The Cincinnati Bengals signed two former number one wide receivers to line up with Chad Ocho Cinco. Antonio Bryant had a huge season in 2008 catching 83 passes for over 1200 yards but regressed last season. Playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season was a large part of the regression, everyone was bad in TB last season.

Bryant should have a bounce back season if he can win the number two spot from Terrell Owens. If Bryant wins the number 2 WR spot, it will open up a completely new set of problems for the Bengals. If Owens is forced to the bench in favor of Bryant, his attitude will create trouble for Carson Palmer and head coach Marv Lewis. If Owens is the number two receiver, it means Bryant can’t live up to his past numbers and the Bengals are still limited in the passing game. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. 2010 football betting lines for this can be found at this top online sportsbook. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense.

NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. They signed away the Arizona Cardinals top linebacker Karlos Danby. In the past two seasons, Danby has totaled 228 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. The Dolphins are the forgotten team of the AFC East with the second longest odds to win the division but with the addition of Karlos Danby and a trade for WR Brandon Marshall makes the Miami Dolphins legitimate contenders in the AFC East and in the NFL’s Eastern Conference.

The Dolphins will make NFL wagering fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.

NFL Wagering

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.