jockeys

After a hiatus in 2020 due to COVID-19, the 13th Annual Charity Basketball Game featuring jockeys against horsemen will be held Wednesday, Sept. 1. Proceeds from the event, which will take place at the Saratoga Springs Recreation Center at 6:30 p.m., will benefit the programs of the New York Race Track Chaplaincy. Admission is free. Hall of Famer Angel Cordero, Jr. will coach the jockey team, while 2021 Hall of Fame inductee Todd Pletcher will coach the horsemen team alongside trainer-turned-agent Kiaran McLaughlin. NYRA's Mitch Levites will do the announcing....

Jockey Heriberto Figueroa, injured in a spill at Monmouth Park last Sunday, will resume riding at the track during Friday's card. Tomas Mejia, who was involved in the same spill, is likely to be out at least one more week while he recovers, according to the agents for both riders. "He's doing fine and ready to ride again," said John Salamone, Figueroa's agent. "He's 100%." Mejia's return will likely be delayed another week, according to agent Robert Tuccille. "He is feeling a lot better, but we're going to take the...

A concussion in sport report was published by the UK Government on Thursday morning and the news was welcomed by the Professional Jockeys Association (PJA). In March of 2021, an inquiry into the links between sport and long-term brain injury, the implications for youth sport and funding for further scientific research was announced by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Also under consideration during the four oral evidence sessions that made up the inquiry was the role of national governing bodies and major sporting organisations. The DCMS...

The New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) unanimously advanced a rule proposal Tuesday that seeks to end the resource-draining practice of jockeys appealing riding infractions during big-money race meets like at Saratoga, then withdrawing those protests once the meet is over for the sole purpose of delaying a suspension until it is more convenient for the penalized rider to serve the days. The proposed rule, which first must be published in the state lawmaking register and then be subject to a public commentary period before coming up again for a...

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Two months after costing New York an estimated $4.2 million in lost handle revenue during the first quarter of 2021, a bill to eliminate an antiquated state requirement that same-race mounts of married jockeys be coupled in pari-mutuel wagering has passed both the Assembly and Senate. The New York Senate unanimously passed Bill No. A7024 June 1 by a 63-0 margin. The Assembly had passed it 147-0 on May 5. The measure, if signed into law by the governor, would take effect immediately. It now charges racetrack operators with the...

by T.D. Thornton, Bill Finley & Sue Finley Amid concerns that jockeys would either be protesting Monmouth Park's May 28 opening-day program or not riding at all during the meet because of their concerns over a new state rule that prohibits whipping outside of emergency safety usage, it took until 5:30 p.m. Tuesday for Friday's overnight at Monmouth Park to be released, with six races drawing 45 entrants ridden by 14 jockeys. Now that Friday's opening day program appears to be a "go," the looming larger question is what will...

With 10 days to go before opening day at Monmouth Park, preparations are being made to kick off the 53-day meet that begins May 28. Track officials are ready to go and so are the trainers and about 1,100 horses already stabled at the seaside track. But who will ride the horses? That question remained up in the air Tuesday. The New Jersey Racing Commission has passed regulations that will go into effect on opening day that will prevent jockeys from using their whips, except for cases when there are...

A saliva testing trial, a screening method for cocaine and some other banned substances, is now under way at UK racecourses, the British Horseracing Authority announced on Wednesday. Utilising oral swabs, the testing method results are provided near-instantly indicating whether substances are present in a rider's system above existing thresholds. If the trial is successful, British racing will become the first major sport in Britain to utilise on-the-day screening for banned substances through oral swabs. If a jockey does not test negative during the trial, they would be stood down...

With a court having denied a motion to stay a New Jersey Racing Commission (NJRC) regulation banning the use of the whip, racing at Monmouth is set to get underway under the tightest rules in the nation regarding the crop. But whips may not be the only thing missing on opening day May 28. At least three jockeys have said that, because of the whip ban, they will not ride at Monmouth this year. Jockeys across the country have come out against whip restrictions, saying that the crop is a...

The QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame, the first official Hall of Fame for British Flat racing honouring the champions of the sport, will be unveiled on Monday, Apr. 26, QIPCO announced on Wednesday. Marking the 10th year QIPCO has sponsored the British Champions Series which started in 2011, the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame will immortalise the modern greats of British Flat racing-both human and equine-from 1970 onward. (Click here to view a highlights reel of modern greats). New members of the Hall of Fame will...

Several big names have been added to the upcoming Racing League competition this summer. Frankie Dettori, Oisin Murphy, Jim Crowley and Hollie Doyle are all set to take part. Dettori is part of the Newmarket team, along with fellow riders Jamie Spencer and Luke Morris, who are paired with trainers John Gosden, Sir Mark Prescott, Robert Cowell and David Simcock. Murphy, Hayley Turner and Sean Levey are riding for Andrew Balding and Richard Hannon. Murphy said, "This is an exciting innovation and considering the prize money there should be fierce...