Page 190 - September 2022

REGARDING HISA
A Statement By The Jockeys’ Guild On Recent Criticism
Jockeys’ Guild • Lexington, KY Press Release – Aug. 23, 2022
It is well-known that the Jockeys’ Guild has the Guild has taken action to ensure that the single out jockeys -- the only “covered persons”
long advocated for uniform rules governing
horseracing and for heightened safety standards to protect the lives and health of its members. When the organization was first created in 1940, its purpose was to protect the jockeys, to uphold the best interest of racing, and to assure for safe environment. The years leading up to the formation of the Guild were filled with frustration and pain. There was a widespread misuse of power over the jockeys and very few horsemen or racetrack management were sympathetic to the needs of the riders. It is disheartening to say, jockeys’ interests are still an afterthought for many in the industry who still continue to have a lack of respect for riders. For the past eighty years, the Guild has continued
to fight many of the same battles to assure that the jockeys are afforded the protection and
care that they rightfully deserve as the human athletes involved in our industry. Most recently,
188 SPEEDHORSE September 2022
Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority properly recognizes the concerns of the jockeys.
The Guild endorsed the creation of
HISA and is not opposed to it now. Guild Co-Chairman Johnny Velazquez has served on HISA’s Racetrack Safety Standing Committee since May 5, 2021. The Guild does not harbor any ill-will toward any individual HISA officials. The Guild availed itself of every opportunity, both prior to and during the notice-and-comment period on the proposed rules, to have conversations and educate
HISA and the FTC on the rules’ impact on its members. To this end, the Guild supplied both bodies with thoughtful and detailed feedback.
Unfortunately, in the version of the rules that went into effect on July 1, many of the Guild’s concerns remained unaddressed. Also, to date, many of the Guild’s questions remain unanswered. As currently written, the rules
whose lives are literally on the line in every
race -- without affording them the benefit of the enhanced safety protections they sought. Faced with a July 1 date for implementation of the rules, the Guild’s Board of Directors voted (with the exception of Co-Chairman Velazquez, who recused himself due to his ongoing participation on the Safety Committee) to honor the wishes of its membership and become a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit seeking to enjoin implementation of the rules.
Since the filing of the lawsuit, the Guild has taken heat from several organizations and individuals in the racing industry, and at times from the horseracing press. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Everyone is not entitled, however, to their own facts. Furthermore, the Guild has an obligation and duty to protect all of its members and must continue to listen to the concerns expressed by many of its members