OFFICIAL INTEREST

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30957, 13 January 1966, Page 4

OFFICIAL INTEREST

Use Of Whip I (From the Australian Racing Correspondent of "The Press”] SYDNEY, i Theme’s success at Rosehill ion Saturday came in for a lot of attention. One of the interested onlookers was an R.S.P.C.A. inspector. Theme, a five-year-old by Jekyll (imp) from Fifth Note trained by T. J. Smith, was ridden by D. Lake. Lake’s use of the whip led to a complaint by the R.S.P.C.A. which is being investigated by the A.J.C., the whole affair triggering off a controversy about the susceptibility of horses to pain, and the use of whips, generally, in racing. Lake had ridden Argentina (Le Filou-Teina) into second place earlier for Smith, but it was known that Theme would trail the field, and would have to be hard-ridden from behind if she had any chance at all. Between the furlong post and about six lengths from the post where the win was secure, Lake hit 24 times in his whirl-wind style—a bit faster than two strokes per second. There was a rush to inspect Theme as the mare was brought back. There was nothing to suggest that she had been “flogged.”