Sandown could be hit by jockeys' boycott over phones row
The Jockey Club met riders’ representatives yesterday in a bid to end the dispute over new rules which do not allow jockeys use their mobile phones on the racetrack during racing.
But the riders were unhappy with the outcome and Philip Robinson, their main spokesman throughout the dispute, said: “At this moment in time a lot of jockeys are planning to take Sunday off. I think there are a lot of tired jockeys wanting to relax.
“It’s not a strike as we haven’t taken any rides on Sunday. We are just not accepting rides on Sunday.”
Jockeys Robinson, Tony McCoy and Paul Eddery, together with solicitor Martin Cruddace of Schillings and the Jockeys’ Association’s Michael Caulfield and John Blake, met Jockey Club representatives Christopher Foster (executive director), Malcolm Wallace (director of regulation) and John Maxse (public relations director), and a new offer was put to the riders.
This would allow them restricted use of their phones during racing, within a designated area.
The new rules were implemented last week in a crackdown on racecourse security after a high-profile corruption court case, and the jockeys staged a series of walk-out protests.
Sandown is owned by the Racecourse Holdings Trust, which is a subsidiary of the Jockey Club.
Maxse said of the threat to Sandown: “We were aware before today’s meeting that a move like this had been mooted. We knew that there was a possibility that some kind of legal or other action could be taken, but neither is in the interests of racing.
“We want to solve this, which is why we came up with a system that would allow jockeys to use their phones within a designated area.
“We will probably be looking to try to contact the jockeys individually now.”
After the meeting had finished, Michael Caulfield, the Jockeys’ Association chief executive, said: “A solution is still possible, but jockeys just want to be treated with a degree of maturity.”
lGodolphin have revealed their provisional plans for stables stars Moon Ballad, Mamool, Dubai Destination and Sulamani.
Moon Ballad, winner of the Dubai World Cup in March, was fifth in last weekend’s Ireland The Food Island Champion Stakes but he is now set to head to America.
The four-year-old is set to run in the Group One Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park on September 27 on the way to a crack at the Breeders’ Cup Classic over 10 furlongs on dirt on October 25.
Mamool, winner of the Grosser Bugatti Preis in Germany last Sunday, is unlikely to run in the Group One Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on October 5, which would mean that Godolphin would not have a runner in the French race.
Instead the colt could return to Germany for Group One Preis Von Europa at Cologne on September 28 before running in the Tooheys New Melbourne Cup, on November 4.
Meanwhile, Dubai Destination will be aimed at the Group One Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on September 27.
Sulamani is confirmed as a participant in the Group One Turf Classic Invitational at Belmont Park on September 27.
