PJA call for urgent whip rules action
Fears of a strike by jockeys at Windsor and Pontefract on Monday was averted on Friday night after the British Horseracing Authority invited the PJA to a board meeting on Monday.
Representatives of the PJA, including chief executive Kevin Darley, Tony McCoy, Frankie Dettori and Ryan Moore, met with the BHA in London, with a review of the new regulations due from racing’s rulers at the end of the week.
Darley said in a statement: “There is now a process of proper consultation and discussion involving jockeys which should have happened before the original announcement by the British Horseracing Authority last month.
“Had we been properly consulted over some of the important details that relate directly to jockeys prior to that announcement we feel that we would not be in the position we are today.
“Jockeys have no issues with the restricted amount of times they can use the whip under the new rules.
“The careers of jockeys are short by definition and the implications of financial penalties and long suspensions are savagely disproportionate.”
In the PJA statement, Frankie Dettori and Tony McCoy appeared to distance themselves from comments made in a BHA press release when the news rules were unveiled.
They said said in a joint-statement: “In hindsight we would like to have given more thought and consideration to the new rules before commenting.
“We didn’t give them properly informed approval and we really do wish the BHA would stop saying that we did.”
Since the new regulations came into effect last week a number of jockeys have been hit with stiffer punishments.
Richard Hughes pledged not to ride again until the rules had been changed after receiving a second suspension of the week at Kempton on Thursday.
Top French jockey Christophe Soumillon reacted with fury to receiving a ban and forfeiting over £50,000 in prize-money after being found to have hit Saturday’s Qipco Champion Stakes winner Cirrus Des Aigles six times in the final furlong at Ascot.
Kieren Fox is considering his future after being hit with two lengthy bans.
Meanwhile the nine jockeys banned for failing to pull up during a race that was declared void at Wetherby last Wednesday have failed in their appeal against 10-day suspensions.
Sixteen-times champion Tony McCoy and leading riders Graham Lee, Paddy Brennan and Denis O’Regan were among those found guilty of failing to stop after a yellow flag was shown due to a stricken horse on the course.
Danny Cook, Jonathon Bewley, Alexander Voy, Brian Hughes and Brian Toomey were the other riders who continued to race.
The British Horseracing Authority disciplinary panel upheld the bans (October 26-November 4) at an appeal hearing in London yesterday morning.
The Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby and the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter are two major races the jockeys will miss.
