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by Jennifer K. Hancock
Jockeys Gather in sunshine state
The 2016 Jockeys’ Guild Assembly concluded Feb. 17 with the focus of the annual gathering on the welfare and safety of jockeys. The two-day event took place at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino and Hotel in Hollywood, Florida.
Active and retired jockeys
from the Thoroughbred and
Quarter Horse industries were
in attendance, and the main topics of the event were the need to advance the safety of the human athletes in the sport and the importance of the Guild working with all horse racing related entities.
In his opening remarks, Terry Meyocks, the Guild’s National Manager, noted that jockeys face some of the same issues that resulted in the forma- tion of the Guild in 1940, but through communica- tion and working together, issues can be resolved. Meyocks also recognized that the Permanently Disabled Jockeys’ Fund is celebrating its 10th year in 2016 and that there is still no industry wide guaran- teed funding for the more than 60 riders who have suffered catastrophic, on-track injuries and rely on the PDJF for support.
In an effort to improve rider safety, the Guild established a Research and Development commit-
tee in March 2015. More than 20 organizations in the industry were invited to take part in the project designed to learn more about helmets and safety vests and to assess the quality and value of the protective equipment. The Guild is assessing the information and working with these organizations on the next steps to take.
At the Jockeys’ Guild Assembly, priorities for the organization were established and included: working to make sure jockeys have more of a voice on industry matters, industry-wide guaranteed funding for the PDJF, the need for jockeys to receive fair compensation throughout the country, even at premier racing venues, and to continue to promote riders in the media to make leading riders become household names.
Dr. Carl Matacola of the University of Kentucky presented “Developing a Concussion Model in Horse Racing.” For the past several years, Matacola has been working with the Guild to create the Jockey Injury Database. While concussions have become a hot topic in the National Football League, Matacola noted that the condition is not a priority in horse racing. He sug- gested giving all jockeys a baseline test that would be
conducted annually and having every racetrack with medical personnel trained in concussion testing.
Paul Struthers, executive director of the Professional Jockeys Association in the United Kingdom, addressed the group and compared racing in Britain and the United States by the number of races and licensing requirements, including fitness to ride standards, and current research. The British Racing Authority rules over all licensees, which Struthers said makes getting things done much easier than in America where there is no national governing body.
Recently, retired Quarter Horse rider G.R. Carter joined Angel Cordero Jr., Laffit Pincay Jr., Ramon Dominguez, Casey Lambert and John Velazquez along with moderator Mike Penna for a discussion on “Adjusting to Life After Riding.” The panelists discussed the need for jockeys to have a long-range plan for the next phase of their life after their career as a jockey ends. The riders shared their experiences and warned about pitfalls that each has experienced, including Ramon Dominguez who retired early because of a head injury.
Nancy LaSala, the executive director of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys’ Fund, gave an update on the financial status of the foundation and noted the success of last year’s Jockeys and Jeans fundraising event at Indiana Downs. LaSala said the organization continues to do events such as Karaoke at Saratoga and Jockeys Across America, but dedicated funding from the industry is needed. Riders are encouraged
to contribute $1 per mount through the horsemen’s bookkeepers.
Corey Johnsen, founder of JockeyTalk360 and president of Kentucky Downs, updated the Assembly about the JockeyTalk360 website that was launched in 2015. The site is dedicated to promoting and celebrating the sport of horseracing by showcasing jockeys. Johnsen is working on permission to have a Jockey wager at this year’s Kentucky Downs meet. The majority of proceeds from their sponsors benefit the Jockeys’ Guild and the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, Johnsen said.
Gulfstream Park hosted an awards dinner, where jockeys were recognized for their accomplishments. The Eddie Arcaro Award was presented to Brian Elmore. The Laffit Pincay Jr. Award went to Casey Lambert, who retired at the end of the Ruidoso Downs meet in 2015. The Jacky Martin Award was presented to Gilbert Ortiz. JockeyTalk360 made presentations to jockey Florent Geroux as the Most Improved Rider for 2015 and to T.D. Houghton
for the 2015 Comeback of the Year Award. For the second consecutive year, the Jockeys’ Guild presented
Send photos and news items to jennifer_k_hancock@hotmail.com.
The MonTh in review
10 SPEEDHORSE, April 2016
Track chaTTer