Guild Wants Seat at the Table as Industry Makes Changes

As the racing industry makes reforms and considers further changes moving forward, the Jockeys' Guild wants to make sure it's included in shaping the sport.

Guild leaders are concerned their invitation to participate has been lost in the mail, a sentiment they expressed during the Jockey Guild Assembly Dec. 9 in Las Vegas.

Guild president and CEO Terry Meyocks said the organization that includes nearly 1,250 riders wasn't invited to partner with the launch of the track-led Thoroughbred Safety Coalition announced last month at Keeneland. Meyocks said the Guild would have liked to have been included as an initial member and would like to be included going forward.

In-house counsel Mindy Coleman said the Guild's proposals on riding crop rules for California have not been included on a California Horse Racing Board meeting scheduled for Dec. 12 where the regulator will consider new policies. She expressed concern that regulators in other states are not giving enough weight to riders in shaping new policies.

And, Racing Hall of Fame rider and Guild co-chairman John Velazquez expressed frustration that the industry is moving toward riding crop policies so restrictive that the new rules will actually put horses and riders in danger. He said racing needs to instead move toward educating the public about new riding crops, which do not injure, and how current rules are protecting horses.

Velazquez believes the riding crop issue should not be tied to equine breakdowns.

The sport in California and beyond has adopted and pushed for a number of changes in medication policies, claiming rules, shockwave therapy rules, and other equine protections since a rash of breakdowns at Santa Anita Park at the winter-spring meet that concluded earlier this year. Riding crop policy changes will be considered Thursday by the CHRB.

The Thoroughbred Safety Coalition announced its formation Nov. 19 to push for such reforms at major tracks across the country with members including major owners Churchill Downs Inc., New York Racing Association, The Stronach Group, as well as Del Mar, Keeneland, and Breeders' Cup.

Participating in an open discussion panel entitled, "Jockeys and Tracks Working Together for the Betterment of Our Industry" at Monday's assembly, Keeneland vice president of racing and sales Bob Elliston told the riders the fact the Guild was not among the initial TSC members shouldn't be taken as a slight.

"It was never the intention of those that founded that entity that they'd be the only constituencies that would be part of that, quite the contrary," Elliston said, adding jockeys would be an important voice in educating the majority of the public that hasn't made up its mind about racing. "When the racing is going on, and you're in tight going 40 miles per hour and you're judging what (a horse is) going to do next before we ever see them duck out or change paths—only you have that experience. Just like the vets or chemists who understand the affects of medication on horses, every single one of those folks need to be a part of this conversation."

Elliston said the previous approaches of waiting for controversy to blow over will not work this time around.

"Hunkering down and letting the storm blow over—that will not happen where we find ourselves today," Elliston said. "What's changed is public policy makers are involved and reacting. In California you're seeing it with (U.S.) Senator (Dianne) Feinstein and Governor (Gavin) Newsom. You see it in New York, you see it in other places."

Elliston agreed with Velazquez that the public needs to be better educated about the sport, but he said the public, and lawmakers, want to see changes. He said those reforms need to take place at every level—before and after a horse races.

"Yes educating will help with the public policy makers but quite frankly we have to make significant changes up and down the line," Elliston said. "At Keeneland, we're in the breeding capital of the world and we have to challenge ourselves about what types of horses we're bringing to the track. What is happening to these horses before they come to the sales? How are they being raised? Are we raising fragile horses? This is not just a racing issue. This is the care of the horse from the day they're born until they day they leave the track and are retired."

Scott Wells, president and general manager of Remington Park and Lone Star Park, said jockeys can help convey a positive image of the sport. He said racing has to use its best resources in capturing the group that hasn't made up its mind about the sport.

"Riders are our best resource to communicate with that group," Wells said.

Velazquez and other riders noted that much of their social media reach only extends to current fans. He encouraged Churchill Downs to work with its Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) television partner, NBC Sports, to put riders on late night talk shows and morning news shows. He said those are the types of shows that would allow racing to reach a new audience.

Jockey Joe Bravo encouraged tracks to let riders know of who they can go to when they meet prominent sports or entertainment figures so the tracks can provide a great day at the races for those people. He noted social media endorsements from such personalities also have the potential to reach a new audience and tell a different story than some of the negative publicity the sport has received this year.

The sport also needs new owners. Velazquez noted some of the people he has brought to the track have gone on to participate as owners.

Gary Palmisano, VIP player services manager at Churchill and TwinSpires.com, agreed with the riders and said their interactions with such personalities can prove fruitful for the sport. He encouraged them to contact racetracks as early as possible—provide as much advance notice as possible—to best accommodate them.

The riders and racing executives on the panel discussed ideas on providing media training for riders. Aaron Gryder noted the media certainly had an interest in talking with riders when the rash of breakdowns occurred at Santa Anita. He said jockeys can provide a powerful counter-point to opponents of the sport.

"I volunteered to do one television interview, and then suddenly I was doing seven," Gryder said. "Your word counts. People know that if you thought the track was unsafe, you wouldn't be up there on a horse."