Handedness of whip use by Australian Jockeys

To compare handedness of whip use by Australian jockeys in Melbourne (where racing is counterclockwise) and Sydney (where racing is clockwise).

Photographs of finishes of Thoroughbred horse races in Melbourne and Sydney were examined. Where whip use was clearly visible, the venue, the hand in which the whip was held and the names of the jockey and the horse were determined. Comparisons of whip hand use between cities were made using the Chi-squared test.

A total of 771 identifications were made, 328 from Melbourne and 443 from Sydney, representing 78 jockeys and 506 horses. Right-handed whip use was identified in 244 (74.39%) photographs of Melbourne races and in 313 (70.65%) photographs of Sydney races. There was no difference between right-handed whip use in Melbourne and Sydney (P = 0.53), nor in the handedness of whip use by individual jockeys (P = 0.74). Predominantly right-handed jockeys demonstrated significantly stronger dominance (84.51 ± 14.03%) compared with left-hand dominant riders (71.07 ± 9.40%; P = 0.01). A total of 84 horses were identified being ridden by the same jockey in different races. In 64 of the 84 cases, the whip was used in the same hand in all photographs. In the remaining instances, the whip was observed to be used in both hands by the one jockey.

The findings support the view the whip can be used as an aid to steering during races.