KEY POINTS:
Leith Innes doesn't want to comment on the six-month sin-binning he copped for his positive drug charge in Queensland.
Fair enough.
If he did comment he'd probably want to say that the frustrating part of the suspension is that he cannot ride trackwork to get fit until the sentence is complete in December.
It's an odd one.
Many, particularly in Australia, were surprised Innes copped a suspension and not a disqualification.
Seemingly the only difference between those two terminologies is that a suspension allows him to attend race meetings.
But not to ride trackwork.
What's the point of being allowed on a racetrack if you can't ride work?
As one hard case put it, maybe it's to allow a jockey to watch others ride work so they don't forget how.
Regardless of how fit a jockey kept himself with gym work and running, it would take at least a month of riding trackwork to be close enough to the fitness required for race riding.
Lance O'Sullivan, who knows a bit about comebacks, said yesterday that every individual body was different, but it would always take him six to eight weeks.
Perhaps our racing powers might be lenient if Innes applied for an exemption to ride trackwork for the last few weeks of his stand-down.
AAP reported yesterday that Innes had lodged an appeal against his six-month suspension.
Queensland Racing chief steward Reid Sanders said Innes had appealed against the severity of the sentence but no date had yet been set for the hearing before the Racing Appeals Tribunal.
Wheeler cracks whip
Some interesting moments on Wednesday at the Palmerston North edition of New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing's travelling roadshow forum.
John Wheeler, somewhat of a lone voice, stood up against what he sees as the Australian makeover being given New Zealand racing by the current mainly Australian administration in Wellington.
Wheeler likes Australians and much about Australian racing and even some of the changes being made here, but strongly believes some of the changes do not fit our racing culture.
Wheeler locked horns with chief stipendiary steward Cameron George, an Australian who has impressed in his short time here as someone who can get on with people and his job.
It's George's submissions that the rules be changed to ban jockeys from betting - which will happen - using cellphones on racetracks and from owning horses.
Wheeler is adamant those last two should not be banned.
Australian jockeys are not permitted to use cellphones on track.
"Last Saturday I had horses racing at Tauranga, Otaki, Melbourne and Brisbane - how the hell can I give jockeys instructions if I can't talk to them on raceday.
"I was told by stewards in Australia to give my jockeys instructions the day before.
"Most jockeys can't remember riding instructions when you tell them half an hour before a race - how are they going to remember from the day before."
George replied yesterday that as a result of Wheeler's points at Wednesday's forum that he will review his submissions on jockeys owning horses.
Wheeler maintains the Australian system of allowing jockey's wives, but not jockeys, to own horses is hypocritical.
"The wives of most of the leading jockeys in Australia race horses.
"I don't know of one jockey's wife that works, so who pays the bills. It's nonsense."
George says for him it's not a good look to see a jockey's name in the ownership - a high-profile example is Mark Sweeney, who part owns one of his winning rides at Tauranga last Saturday, Our Mavoureen.
"It's been suggested jockeys could own them up to the stage of trialing and then see them sold, because many jockeys do it as part of their income.
"I did some research and only 15 jockeys in New Zealand currently own a share in a horse so it's not like we're trying to turn the industry upside down."
The changes are being suggested for reasons of integrity in the face of continuing internationalisation of racing, but Wheeler maintains that in matters of integrity, Australians needs continually reminding that New Zealand wasn't formed from a penal colony.
George and Wheeler threw bricks at each other throughout, then, like the men they are, sat down and had lunch together.
They clearly like each other.
Vigorous debate will almost always get you to the right point.
Royal treat at Ascot
There were so many highlights in the fantastic Royal Ascot television coverage we saw for the first time.
For this writer the best was the ride by Jay Ford on Takeover Target in the Jubilee Stakes.
And how Ford did not hit Takeover Target with the whip in the final three strides when he was being overcome by Soldier's Tale.
The Aussie sprinter, as always, had given his all, Ford knew it and admirably resisted the temptation to punish the horse in the hope that there might be just one drop left in the tank.
That temptation must have been enormous - don't forget a million was on the line.
Ford had enough ability to know that last drop wasn't available to him.
That level of horsemanship deserves to be acknowledged.
