Horse racing is a competitive sport, and equestrians spent months training for it and also forming a bond along with their rides. As controversial as the sport gets at times, owing to the list of injuries that are sometimes fatal, a race has been taken very seriously by the equestrian community. Such high are the stakes for any event, that a slip in position from a 7/1 to 11/1 due to poor handling of the horse, comes under scrutiny and questioning. This is why jockey Dylan Kitts is facing heat from horse racing fans worldwide for casually handling his horse and missing out on a win.

Dylan Kitts, who has ridden 11 winner horses to date, was riding his horse Hillsin during the 2m4f conditional jockey’s handicap hurdle when his lack of effort in the final hurdle cost him a win. Many netizens have called him out for that, some even pointing out the hypocrisy involved.

How the equestrian’s lack of a push cost him the race

A tweet by Emerett Kenndey went, “This is a horrible sight. Hillsin drifted from 7/1 to 11/1 before the off, cruised through the race with little to no effort to urge him on, yet he finishes third.” The popular notion that spread right after the race, was that Hillsin was “tenderly handled”. Despite its positive connotation, it could and did cost Kitts the win. Kitts explained that he heard noises coming out of his horse, which made him feel Hillsin was in distress. Pushing him further could’ve been irreparable for the horse.

The tweet continued, “The same jockey used the whip on Hillsin six times after the third last flight when he finished 3rd at Exeter in a handicap hurdle on the 21st of April”. The hypocrisy is being pointed out where it’s not as if Kitts has never been firm with his horse. So what could possibly be the reason behind being soft during a race is something that’s baffling everyone.

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The tweet finally read, “Surely the stewards have looked into this?” As it so happens, the British Horseracing Authority has suspended Hillsin from racing for 40 days. While different colored horses, in general, may or may not have varied strength, Hillsin was fine to pull off the victory. As for Kitts and his lack of push toward the end of the race, people have mixed opinions.

The equestrian community isn’t buying Kitts’ decision to not go hard

While some netizens were furious over Dylan Kitts’ conduct, some defended him by citing a myriad of reasons that could’ve gone wrong. Here are a few of them:

A fan raised suspicions after the race ended.

Someone was defending Kitts and providing an alternate explanation for what happened.

Someone who isn’t supportive of Kitts’s actions and finds a flaw in his excuse.

A fan savagely trolled Kitts for his lack of effort at the end.

A supposed huge fan of horse racing who doesn’t like a lack of effort from any of the participants, especially not a former winner.

Hillsin was the favorite going into the race by 2-1 on popular demand, and he was as short as 15-8 in places. After opening up at 7-1 and ending at 11-1 with such expectations hanging over his head, it will be a long time before this criticism fades away.

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