Back in business...Chris Munce has been granted a licence to ride in Victoria following the end of his controversial suspension by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. The popular jockey will be free to take rides for leading trainer Gai Waterhouse and powerful owner Nathan Tinkler over the spring carnival in Melbourne. Racing Victoria chief steward Terry Bailey says Munce had applied in late August to ride in Victoria from September. 'He says: 'His period of suspension ended on the first of September and
Back in business...Chris Munce has been granted a licence to ride in Victoria following the end of his controversial suspension by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. The popular jockey will be free to take rides for leading trainer Gai Waterhouse and powerful owner Nathan Tinkler over the spring carnival in Melbourne. Racing Victoria chief steward Terry Bailey says Munce had applied in late August to ride in Victoria from September. 'He says: 'His period of suspension ended on the first of September and the RVL board has permitted Munce to ride again in Victoria.'
Let's face it, both sides weakened in the dramatic showdown over the whip rule debacle..But the Australian Racing Board, led by its chairman Bob Bentley, weakened the most. In the space of a few days, Bentley had to back down from his high-handed stand of last Friday when he dismissed critics of the ARB's stringent whip rules as 'so-called experts'. The end result was a humiliating backdown for the Board and particularly Bentley. But the jockeys, too, gave in. They didn't get what they really should have continued to push for, but if there's to be a winner declared in the whole unsavoury business then it was the jockeys and their impressive spokesmen.