Laurel Park Riders to Use New Cushioned Riding Crops
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
The new 360GT riding crop in action
Starting with the April 25 card, the jockey colony at Laurel Park will begin to use cushioned riding crops in all races.
The 360GT (gentle touch) crop, designed by Hall of Fame jockey Ramon Dominguez, has larger, cushioned padding at the end designed to have less impact on horses. Laurel's riders got a chance to get acquainted with the new crops during the special April 22 program at the Maryland track. Riders have also been testing the crop during the current spring meet at Keeneland.
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"It looks almost like a big cat tail. It's got a big cushion on the end of it. It's almost like a very spongy material," said meet-leading rider Trevor McCarthy, Maryland's winningest rider in 2014 and 2016.
"To me, it's different. It's something new. I like it. I think it's very good for the horses," he added. "This is something very important for our game, for the protection of our horses and the jockeys, so I'm pretty excited to start using it."
McCarthy leads Laurel's spring meet with 15 wins and $535,748 in purse earnings with 54 mounts.